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College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences students, faculty and staff were recognized for their achievements for the 2021-2022 academic year at the college’s annual awards ceremony, April 22.

View complete photo gallery from the event

Two WVU faculty members have been named as recipients of the University’s 2022-2023 Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program:

Kristen Dieffenbach, associate professor in the College of Physical Activities and Sport Sciences’ Department of Coaching and Teaching Studies.

Students, fans and faculty gathered for the Second Annual Friendship Cup, April 22 at the WVU Student Recreation Fields, to cheer on the eight teams in the single elimination competition. Matches took place in overlapping times while WVU Men’s and Women’s Soccer student-athletes served as referees. Winning team members from the lowest seed of the tournament, Elite FC, received gift cards and championship hats, along with bragging rights until next year’s event.

The friendly competition promotes team spirit and brings students and faculty from across campus together to celebrate the alliance of the international sport. The spring event acts as a prelude to the popular Diversity Cup that will take place in October 2022.

WVU sport management students attended a professional development gathering, April 19, hosted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The students heard from Travis Williams, Pirates president, Ben Cherington, Pirates general manager and other Pirates staff members. Following the open panel discussion, students enjoyed a behind-the-scenes view of PNC Park.

In addition to the facility tour, students participated in a round table social mixer where they met additional Pirates staff members who highlighted their career journey and sport management opportunities within the organization. CPASS Dean Jack Watson and sport management faculty members Patrick Hairston, Gary Lhotsky and Justin Wartella accompanied the students on the field trip.

West Virginia University students took a clean sweep of every competition at the 2022 West Virginia Athletic Training Association Conference, held this spring on the WVU campus.

Athletic Training major Carter Kenton says that the event was a “great way” to end his senior year. “The WVATA conference was an enormous success for WVU, from hosting the conference on campus to filling the podium in all the competitions,” Kenton said. “The poster presentation was a culmination of everything I have learned and applied the past four years at WVU. Overall, the conference allowed everyone to meet and collaborate with current and future athletic trainers across the state.”

The West Virginia University Athletics Performance Center recently served as the site for the National Strength and Conditioning Association West Virginia State Clinic on March 25-26. The new facility acts as the home for strength and conditioning, training, rehabilitation and nutrition for all WVU Olympic sport programs.

A sold-out audience of 75 participants, including students, coaches and educators, learned from national leaders in the strength and conditioning and sport sciences field. Presentation topics included strength power development, periodization, the high-performance model and strength and conditioning profession. The clinic featured hands-on sessions with a focus on coaching, sport science and technology.

Zach Kirschner says he chose the College’s sport management degree path because it stood out from the rest of the programs he considered. “I was looking for a school that had the certain major as well as a sports team I could be a part of, which WVU had,” he said. 

Betsy Robbins, CPASS Office of Student Success, has supported Kirschner’s progress through helping him develop marketable skills and connections. “I love meeting with students like Zach who are passionate about the field of sport management and are proactively seeking real-world experiences that will help them reach their professional goals,” Robbins said. “It is exciting to see my students find these unique opportunities that perfectly align with their interests. Zach told me he played in the tournament he will now be overseeing. Go get ‘em, Zach!”

CPASS Sport Management Associate Professor Gonzalo Bravo was recently nominated to serve on the American Kinesiology Association Board of Directors. His appointment will run from 2022-2025. The major goal of AKA is to promote, enhance and unify the field of kinesiology.

Bravo was nominated to the board in February 2022. “Serving in AKA has been a real privilege, not only to deepen my understanding of the field of kinesiology but also for the unique opportunity to meet many great faculty and administrators within the field of kinesiology,” he said.

Courtney Hudnall was honored this spring with the Greenbrier County Teacher of the Year Award. Hudnall, Physical Education Teacher Education M.S. graduate (May 2021), is a physical education teacher at Ronceverte Elementary School in Greenbrier County.

“I chose teaching because I wanted to do something that would have an impact on others while also doing the things I love. I love athletics. I also had an amazing PE teacher in elementary school who, to this day, is one of my role models,” Hudnall said. “So, when choosing a career, teaching PE seemed like a no-brainer. It has been so rewarding and worthwhile.”