Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatordade and water.

The list of beverages could on and on. Most non-athletes could chug down a liter of Mellow Yellow, but most athletes wouldn’t have the choice.

Athletes have to watch what they take into their bodies, and that includes liquids and beverages of any sort, such as milk, beer or Mr. Pibb.

Only one of those options is available to athletes. The milk.

Yes, they don’t always have the freedom of choice when it comes to liquids. But, if healthy intake of liquids can improve their performance, so be it.

People would like to see an Ohio Valley Conference championship or win against an Illinois school because an Eastern athlete took care of their body.

But this brings up a point: athletes are overwhelmed with all of these non-healthy options, which outnumber the few healthy options that exist.

Gatorade, water, Powerade and various juice drinks are the only ones available for athletes.

And the vending machines picturing Eastern athletes are only in places convenient for the athletes. What about the rest of the campus?

In the residence halls the pop machines have a picture of a Dr. Pepper can, and vacant are the vending machines featuring Eastern athletes.

The students of this campus should have access to the same vending machine covers as the rest of the athletes.

Having Eastern athletes on these can promote school spirit, which is severely lacking. But, there is a problem with the current vending machines.

I don’t recognize anyone on them.

Here are suggestions for cover athletes on the EIU vending machines.

One: junior wide receiver Micah Rucker, a Minnesota transfer and Florida native who dominated the football scene.

Two: Senior women’s basketball guard Meggie Eck, who has hit 16 3-pointers on the season.

Three: Sophomore softball pitcher Kathleen Jacoby, who posted a 2.36 earned run average last spring.

These three athletes can now become the poster-children for drinking healthy and promoting Panther athletics.

Milk, orange juice or Gatorade? Those are the choices of drink for the athletes. What will yours be?