Parkside Athletics prides itself on the success of their student-athletes in both athletic competitions, as well as in the classroom. The department saw the student-athletes combine for the highest department GPA in the history of Parkside Athletics, finishing the 2022 spring semester with a department GPA of 3.37. Thirty-six student-athletes finished the semester with a 4.0 GPA, while 125 student-athletes finished with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. All 13 athletic programs finished with a team GPA above 3.0 in 2022. Playing a huge role in the academic success for the Rangers has been Ashley Beaton Simpson, Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Success at Parkside and this week’s Kenosha.com Ranger of the Week.
Coming to Parkside
Beaton Simpson, a Wildwood, Mo., native, was originally hired as the Athletics Academic Advisor in June of 2020. She was later named AD for Student-Athlete Success, a move that was made possible thanks to Parkside receiving the NCAA Strategic Alliance Matching Grant through the NCAA’s office of leadership development.
Before her time at Parkside, Beaton Simpson played volleyball at Illinois-Springfield, where she graduated with a B.A. in Psychology in 2017. She would later go on to earn her MBA from North Georgia in 2019.
A love for sports
Beaton Simpson grew up playing a wide variety of sports. Along with volleyball, she was involved with dance, softball, basketball, swimming, cheer and track & field. She is a huge St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues fan, and she had some great experiences as a student-athlete that led her to a career in college athletics.
“I was given some awesome opportunities as a student-athlete,” said Beaton Simpson, “like allowing me to continue my education, traveling as a part of serving on SAAC, building my leadership skills, and more.
“I had a great experience as a student-athlete, and grew so much as a person and an athlete. I want to provide those opportunities and more to the student-athletes I serve now, so that they too have a great collegiate experience!”
At Parkside, Beaton Simpson loves not only being able to see student-athletes succeed in both the classroom and their sport, but also getting to know each student-athlete as a person. She also enjoys working with the rest of the Parkside staff. Beaton Simpson says her favorite memory at Parkside was seeing the Parkside Athletics Career Networking Night come to life on March 15, 2022 and hearing that student-athletes received internship and job opportunities through the event.
More on Parkside Athletics
The Parkside 2022-23 athletic season is just a few short months away! Be sure to catch all the action as the Rangers compete in 15 NCAA Division II sports throughout the year. For information regarding upcoming schedules, promotions and tickets, visit parksiderangers.com.
