When Jeremy Williams answered his phone Monday night after a three-day weekend, he could have been watching the Florida State vs. Miami football game or The Daily Show.

"No, I'm actually just getting some studying done," said the senior computer engineering major.

Right, of course he is. Cross country runners aren't allowed excuses to kick back and relax, even if it is Labor Day. In fact, Williams had just finished practice a few hours earlier.

Marquette's cross country athletes are unique in that each runs track in the spring. No other team participates in two separate Division I seasons in a year.

It would seem that this commitment level could be stressful to Williams, who has 21 credits on his plate.

Not exactly, though.

"It's a matter of re-prioritizing your life as opposed to what America would typify a college kid's schedule as," he said.

On the busiest days, junior physiology major Cassie Peller wakes up for a 7 a.m. run, followed by an 8 a.m. weightlifting session.

Then she attends class from 9 a.m. to noon. Practice starts at 3 p.m. and lasts until 6. She grabs dinner and then heads to work where she is a chemistry and biology tutor.

So, when does she study?

"Bus rides," she said. "They're long and you have to make time to get work done. Weekends and bus rides are huge for catching up."

During fall semester, a runner misses 24 to 30 classes. In the spring, that number can increase.

Peller said track season is far more demanding due to more road trips and a longer schedule. For her, loading difficult classes and more credits in the fall is a formula that works. She also took nine credits this past summer in order to graduate on time.

Marquette employs three full-time tutors in its athletic department, but obtaining notes from missed classes is the athletes' responsibilities.

For junior nursing major Kaitlyn Chambers, effective organizational skills are key. Time management is everything. Chambers fits in a clinical at a local hospital once a week.

For others like senior engineering major Brent Des Roches, time in the classroom is golden. He pays close attention to professors and follows the same outline system for note-taking in every class. The more information he retains from class cuts down study time, and every bit helps.

"Not only are they student-athletes, but they have challenging majors," head coach Dave Uhrich said.

"Runners are here to go to school first, and those are the kids we want to bring in."

They do miss many elements of a normal college experience. They don't tell stories of the night before while watching football on a buddy's sofa.

Nor do they make it to The Rave when a favorite band hits town. But Williams sees it differently.

"We've got a great group of guys here, and when you're out there practicing together, we've really gotten to know each other," he said. "It's a lot of fun."