As a collegiate athlete, you have to be in peak shape, as you will be going up against some of the best players in your sport in the country. With such conditions, athletics requires more than just playing your particular sport.

Sacrifices have to be made, like pushing your body to keep in shape and keeping a clean diet to make sure that your workouts are improving your body. Junk food has to be a thing of the past.

CSUSM basketball players Akachi Okugo and Ashley Ontiveros, who lead the men’s and women’s basketball teams respectively, know exactly what it takes to stay competitive.

Okugo, a senior who played his trade at Grand Canyon University before transferring here, is disciplined when it comes to what he eats and drinks, whether it is in season or out of it.

“During season I tend to drink a lot of water; I’ll hardly ever drink soda,” said Okugo. “I eat rice, beans, chicken, pasta, different types of meat—I’m a big meat guy.”

Ontiveros, who also transferred here from Moorpark College, is very conscious of what she puts inside her body, knowing fast food is not much help.

“I know I can’t be eating In-N-Out or Chipotle and having milkshakes every night,” said Ontiveros. “I try eating a lot of salads and greens with a lot of good protein like chicken and meats. I do like pasta too, every now and then. Definitely gotta stay hydrated, so I drink a lot of water.”

Just playing basketball isn’t the only exercise they get. During the season, they both do a variety of workouts that don’t involve basketball.

Ontiveros said she does “simple stuff” like swimming and walking “because basketball takes up a lot of energy.” Okugo said he uses a treadmill, lifts weights and does pushups to stay active.

There are definitely similarities between them, with some clear ones like staying hydrated and eating meats. When it comes to cardio, they have different thoughts.

When asked what her least favorite workout was, Ontiveros replied, “Running. I’m definitely not a running person.” Okugo, on the other hand, sees running differently as he says that “running and cardio are my favorite type of workouts.”

With Okugo currently playing 28 minutes per game and Ontiveros pacing at 30 minutes per game, these two are aptly conditioned, and ready to go on deep runs into the season.