Lyteshia Price does it all for Oneonta State, leading the Red Dragons in scoring, rebounding, and diaper changing. Photo courtesy SUNY Oneonta Athletics

Lyteshia Price faces the same daily stresses as any other collegiate student-athlete. She attends classes, studies for exams, practices and plays in games, changes diapers.

Wait ... what was that last one?

In actuality, Price deals with everything other college-aged athletes do, while also raising a one-year-old baby girl as a single mother. And she's done it without missing a semester at Oneonta State, or even a single game for the Red Dragons' women's basketball team.

If this sounds remarkable, that's because it is. Price has done it with her own strong will and determination, and the help of family, friends, teammates and other members of the athletic department.

"I'm just thankful and blessed that I have her," Price said of her daughter, London.

London is now the most important part of her mother's life, a gift that has forever changed her outlook. But when she discovered back in December, 2013 that she was pregnant, Price was just a terrified sophomore facing the unexpected, life-altering news.

"It was a shocker," Price said. "It wasn't planned at all."

Price first told her mother, but soon after told coach Daphne Thompson, herself the mother of a daughter. Price's message was clear -- she not only wanted to remain enrolled at Oneonta, but to continue playing for the basketball team. Thompson's response was even clearer -- the only person that she'd allow to stand in the way was Price's doctor.

Over the next nine months, Price took advantage of Thursdays, when she had no games or classes, to schedule her doctor appointments. The timing of the pregnancy allowed her to start all 26 games as a sophomore. And it quickly became clear that little London was a fan of her mother playing basketball, as she arrived ahead of her due date last August, allowing Price to return for the start of the fall semester as a junior. "Perfect timing," as Price describes it.

"It's a testament to her," Thompson said. "If you think about what a summer's like being seven, eight, nine months pregnant, you're not doing a whole lot to get yourself ready for October. What she was able to accomplish from August to October to be able to be on the floor with us was a feat in itself."

Price lives alone off-campus with London, but has plenty of help throughout a given week. Her family, which resides in the Syracuse area, visits regularly. London's father has been involved and supportive. When Price is at class or her on-campus job, she drops London off at the campus daycare. The lacrosse team watches London two days a week during basketball team practices, while two other friends that live off-campus watch her on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Price's teammates and members of the athletic department are also constant sources of support. London, as it turns out, is quite the celebrity.

"Everyone here loves her," Price said. "She's so good, she has a great personality. ... People I don't know will come up to me and they'll give me tips or say, 'Oh, I'm here for you,' even if I just meet someone."

It's a unique situation, one that Thompson has never seen in her 23 years as a college head coach.

"I've never had an athlete, with a child, on the team," Thompson said.

Price has started all 82 games since stepping foot on Oneonta's campus back in 2012. In the Red Dragons' 65-52 season-opening win against Utica this year, Price scored a career-high 31 points, becoming the first women's player to score at least 30 points since 2001. Through three games this season, Price is averaging 17.3 points and a whopping 12 rebounds per game. Not too shabby for a 5-foot-10 guard. But then again, versatility has always been one of her strengths.

Price, a physics major, plans to pursue civil engineering after completing her undergraduate degree. And, of course, she is on track to graduate right on time in May, 2016.

Kelly helps Nazareth to 3-0 start

Senior center Lindsey Kelly scored 21, 19 and 17 points, respectively, in the Golden Eagles' first three games of the season, all road victories. Kelly punished Fredonia State with 17 points and 16 rebounds in a 62-51 win on Tuesday. Nazareth finished 15-11 last season, including 10-6 in the Empire 8, so another solid season could be in the cards.

The No. 22 St. John Fisher men's team is also off to a 3-0 start, which comes as little surprise. The Cardinals are the favorites in the Empire 8 this season. D3hoops.com preseason All-American Keegan Ryan scored 20 points in a 96-73 win over SUNYIT and added 19 points and 15 rebounds in a 74-64 win over DeSales.

Sophomore guard sparks Cazenovia

Skylar Girard scored 20-plus points, including a 24-point effort on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range against SUNY Canton, to lead the Cazenovia women's team to a strong 3-1 start. The Wildcats' 10 wins last season were its most since 2009-10, so a fast 3-1 start bodes well for building upon that in 2015-16.

Senior guard Jordan Mellinger scored 17 points as the Lancaster Bible men's team topped No. 19 Franklin and Marshall 94-66, the program's first win over a ranked opponent. Mellinger also scored 12 points in an 82-67 win over Messiash, another program first. Lancaster Bible will enter play in December at 4-0.

Lucas fuels Hobart's quick start

First-year guard Jamal Lucas has made an immediate impact, helping the Statesmen win four of its first five games. The 6-foot-4 guard scored 16 points in a 77-61 season-opening win over Keuka. He then scored 23 points in the next three games, wins over Rochester and Scranton, and a loss to Buffalo State.

Skidmore, the preseason favorite in the Liberty League, has started strong as well. After a 90-84 loss to Ithaca in the season opener, the Thoroughbreds have rattled off three straight wins. Senior forward Erik Campbell leads the team in scoring (16 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg) so far.

Contact me

Have a story idea? A fun stat? Just want to talk some hoops? I'm always happy to hear from a fellow D-III fan. I can be reached via email at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com, or on Twitter at @Andrew_Lovell.