Mobile, Ala.- Derrick Rodgers is used to waking up before the sun rises. Training for the University of South Alabama cross country team early in the morning is what keeps him ahead of the game. But recently, the reasons for the early mornings have changed.  Instead of waking up to an alarm, Rodgers is waking up to the sounds of his 10-month-old son, Rivers.

"Rivers is just now starting to crawl but instead of crawling on his hands and knees, he crawls on his feet and hands with his legs straight," Rodgers said as he laughed. "It's actually pretty smart, because we have hardwood floors and it probably feels a lot better that way, and he goes faster."

One year ago, Rodgers' priorities all changed. After joining the cross country team in January and the birth of his son, he switched gears from being a regular student to being a student-athlete and a dad.

"As far as balancing goes, I try to take things one piece at a time," Rodgers said. "When a person looks at their syllabus at the beginning of the semester, it can seem overwhelming. I feel you must look at the big picture and say 'Okay, I've got the whole semester to learn this stuff', and remember that your professors are there to help you.

"Running requires a lot of work. Luckily, I have a real love for running so that helps out. Most of the time I don't look at it like work when I'm doing it. I am grateful to the coaching staff for working with my schedule as well."

"There aren't many student-athletes with a wife and a young child who work 40 hours a week, so I have no problem meeting him one-on-one for a workout or allowing him to run on his own from time to time," cross country coach Tim Goldsack said. "He sacrifices so much to be part of our program and his teammates see how badly he wants to be part of the team, which in turn makes them work harder for Derrick."

The balancing act is working. Rodgers has placed in the top 10 twice this season and has helped lead the Jaguar men to their highest regional ranking in the school's history.

Even with all of his additional responsibilities he has not given up the option of continuing to compete when he is done with school.  

"Running after college is definitely appealing to me, but I do feel there is a lot of ground to cover to even be able to get into a position like that," Rodgers said. "American distance running is on the rise, which makes running professionally even harder."

Not only is Rodgers a 23-year-old student-athlete, but he also provides for his family. His day is packed from 6 a.m. to 7:15 p.m., with workouts, job, class, run, and then another class. Some weekdays are not as hectic, and he looks forward to coming home to spend as much time with his son and family as possible.

"Rivers is still pretty young, but I like to go places with him and walk around with him in my arms. He is really content when I do this and it is a lot of fun to just watch him see things that he has never seen before," Rodgers said. "It is also a lot of fun to play on the ground with him in the house. He is a very sweet boy."

He's still trying to figure out how he balances life as a student-athlete and family man. But it's not easy to find time to be a student-athlete and have a job with a ten-month-old crawling everywhere. That's where his wife Heather steps in.

"Having so many things on my plate can, at times, be exhausting," said Rodgers.

"The most important factor that makes every thing work is my wonderful wife, Heather. She does a lot; she takes care of our son during the day, and afternoons and nights when I am in class, and she does her best to keep up with things around the house like cleaning and grocery shopping. None of this could work without Heather."

There is no doubt that Rodgers puts his heart into everything that he accomplishes.

"Derrick is a model of what a student-athlete truly is, and he is an outstanding Division I runner so I cannot imagine what kind of father and husband he is," Goldsack said. "Our whole team can learn a lot from him; he is a true inspiration."

Rodgers is hoping to continue progressing in cross country to add to his impressive resume. Since joining the team, he has improved his personal record in the 5,000 meter from 16:13 to 15:32. He admits that it is hard work being a student-athlete and a dad, but he inspires people to follow their dreams no matter what obstacles get in the way.

"Don't be unrealistic, but also be optimistic at the same time. Don't focus on the negatives and all the negative things that people may say," Rodgers said. "Focus on all of the positive possibilities that could happen. If you can map it out in your head, then you can make it happen in real life."