This study examined the attitudes and behaviors associated with leadership qualities in 73 freshman athletes at the University of Maryland, College Park. The Sport Leadership Behavior Inventory (SLBI), the Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), and the New Student Census were administered to the athletes. The SLBI was chosen to provide a definition of leadership using feedback from the team athletes' perspectives. The NCQ was used for its scale which provides an operational definition of leadership. The New Student Census was used to evaluate athletes' perceptions of leadership-related activities and attitudes. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations and the Eta statistic. Results found that leadership scores on the NCQ were positively associated with: (1) expectation of obtaining higher grades, (2) positive expectations from the college experience, (3) decreased expressed need for emotional/social counseling, (4) increased ease of social adjustment, and (5) lower expectancy of transferring to another school. Findings suggest that positive expectations of the college experience can lead to a successful type of self-fulfilling prophecy for an athlete. Results also support previous studies of noncognitive factors associated with making good grades and have implications for advising of student athletes. (Contains 19 references.) (BF)