There is no greater avenue for learning than college.

The four (Who am I kidding? — in my case, five or six) years in college are supposed to be the most informative and challenging of a person’s life.

Although books and lectures can give us valuable knowledge, there is so much to be learned outside of the classroom, and in no other arena are these lessons as sharp as in sports. Although it may not seem so on first glance, athletics teach much more than meets the eye. Just look at what one school year from an athletic perspective can show.

The ISU men’s basketball team speaks to us about the American dream in its truest sense. No matter how far one has fallen, there is always a chance to get back up.

The Cyclones’ roller-coaster season is well known, losing their first five Big 12 games and holding an overall record of just 8-8 near the end of January. They were a lock for an underachieving season, doomed to miss any type of postseason tournament. But then the zone defense began to work. Rahshon Clark and Tasheed Carr began to play like juniors, not freshmen. Curtis Stinson, Will Blalock and Jared Homan moved their already impressive games to a new level.

Iowa State went on a tear, winning seven consecutive games highlighted by a win over then-No. 2 Kansas. In less than a month, the Cyclones played their way into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001, where they won their first-round game before bowing out to eventual champion North Carolina.

The Cyclones went from rags to riches, and if they can continue to play with the passion and fire they showed during their stretch run, next season should hold even more success.

From the football team, we learn that heroes can come from unlikely places. Entering the 2004 season, how much of Cyclone Nation was uneasy about another freshman quarterback? I know I was.

After a shaky start that saw him split time with sophomore Austin Flynn, Bret Meyer, quarterback of the future for Iowa State, came through big. With fellow freshman Todd Blythe by his side, Meyer led the Cyclones to a share of the Big 12 North title and a bowl game for the fourth time in five years.

Meyer played like a veteran, running an offense littered with underclassmen. Coming off a 2-10 season in 2003, not much was expected from the Cyclones. But, thanks to Meyer and a show-stopping defense, Iowa State is back in the hunt for an annual trip to a bowl game.

Athletics also teaches everyone something about faith. Part of being a true fan means you stick with your team through thick and thin — win or lose. Both the football and men’s basketball teams started slow, watching their ships slowly sink in the icy waters of Big 12 play.

But, although many jumped ship, true Cyclone fans stayed calm through it all, confident that Dan McCarney and Wayne Morgan would put things back together. And they did.

Although I stayed on board during football’s resurgence, I toyed with the idea of jumping off the side of the ISU basketball boat.

Lesson learned.

Lucky for me, with a new academic year there is another season approaching just around the bend, giving me another chance to apply what I’ve learned.