BG Athletics Celebrates Women's History Month: Hayley (Wiemer) Bradford

Throughout the month of March, BGSUFalcons.com will be highlighting some of the women who have impacted the University, the community and the athletics department. From pioneers to more recent members of the department, Matt Markey will be providing the stories of our history. Our first story of this series highlights Falcon softball player Hayley (Wiemer) Bradford.

A year ago, BGSUFalcons.com did a similar series for Black History Month. Fans can review and re-read those stories by CLICKING HERE.

After putting together one of the most decorated careers in the history of Falcon athletics, Hayley (Wiemer) Bradford had aspirations of entering the coaching ranks, or possibly working as a teacher.

Today, the former four-time, first-team All Mid-American Conference softball player is essentially doing just that – coaching and teaching – from her position as an academic advisor at Arizona State University.

"This job doesn't put me on the field of play, but I still call on a lot of the things I learned as a player, the academic lessons from the classroom, and the time I spent coaching," she said. "I've had a lot of opportunities to share my experiences as a student-athlete. Playing a sport while going to college, you learn a lot about how to properly manage your time, problem solving, leadership, and how to balance all of the responsibilities in your life. That all transfers very well to a variety of work environments, including academics."

The Falcons won more than 100 games during her time on the team and achieved three second-place finishes in the MAC East Division. Bradford did double-duty for Bowling Green, and was one of the league's best hitters while also turning in dominant pitching performances. She was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2006 after hitting .316 and posting a 1.66 earned run average.

"In softball, it was important to set goals and then work hard towards achieving those goals, and it is the same thing on the academic side," she said. "Being a Division I student-athlete is an experience like no other. Certainly you face some obstacles, with time management being one of the biggest ones, but what you don't realize at the time is you are getting some fantastic real-life training that will serve you well in your career after college."

Bradford, who was also an Academic All-American at BGSU, was a player the opposition both feared and respected. She was one of the leading home run hitters in the MAC, and also was walked a record number of times.

"I really can't put into words what my time at Bowling Green meant to me," the former three-time co-captain of the BGSU softball team said. "Being a student-athlete, having the support and encouragement of my teammates, and benefitting from learning so much from my coaches, the administrators, my professors and instructors – that all laid a wonderful foundation for my career."

Bradford, who following her graduation in 2009 worked as an assistant coach with the Falcon program for two years, said her days as a college athlete and as a coach afford her a high level of credibility with the students – especially the student-athletes -- she advises today in her role with the business school at ASU.

"I tell them I have been there, so I know what it means when they say they feel like they are sometimes pulled in 100 different directions. I feel like I can be a better academic advisor since I was a student-athlete," she said. "And ultimately, I want the students I work with today to have the same type of college experience I had at Bowling Green. It was an extremely positive time."

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