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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.”

Sport Management major Arielle Friedman landed a real-world opportunity to work at Super Bowl LVI through researching options online. She calls the Super Bowl internship a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The Cherry Hill, N.J. native was responsible for execution of Super Bowl LVI events and helped with hospitality efforts for Super Bowl LVI high level guests. “I provided game day customer service initiatives for more than 70,000 fans. During my internship I had the opportunity to network with many sport professionals who work for the Lakers, Sparks, Angels, Dodgers, Clippers and more,” Friedman said. “It’s something I never pictured myself doing.”

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for advancements in digital learning. Over the last two years, West Virginia University faculty have developed new and innovative practices to improve the digital learning experience for their students. Justin Wartella, teaching assistant professor, is one of four WVU faculty selected for the 2022 Digital Learning Award.

To celebrate excellence and innovation in digital learning across the University, the Office of the Provost and West Virginia Public Education Collaborative announced the fourth annual faculty Digital Learning Awards. Recipients will receive a professional development honorarium of $500.

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association has announced that West Virginia University faculty member Kristen Dieffenbach will serve as a new member of their national board of directors. Dieffenbach, director, Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Sciences in the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, was selected following a four-month interview and review process.

As an NICA board member, Dieffenbach contributes her extensive background as a competitive cyclist, 20 plus years of coaching developmental and elite cyclists and working in coach education in the national cycling community with USA Cycling. “The work that I do to develop and support coaching education and development systems across a wide range of organizations will help support NICA’s mission and vision,” she said.

Jack Watson, dean and professor, College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, has been named Fellow for the academic year 2022-23 by the American Council on Education.

The program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year. Following nomination by the senior administration of their institutions and a rigorous application process, 46 Fellows were selected this year.

The Second Annual WVU Friendship Cup, April 22, 6-9 p.m. at the Student Recreation Fields, will celebrate the international student presence on campus. The soccer competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students; registration is limited to eight teams. Each team must have coed participation in the event.

“Our spring gathering will feature a registration tent and student organization-hosted info tables. We will have four nets, with matches happening at overlapping times. WVU Men’s and Women’s Soccer student-athletes will serve as referees,” Patrick Hairston, College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences teaching assistant professor, said. “The 2022 spring event acts as a prelude to the popular Diversity Cup that will take place in October.”

Jose María López-Gullón, a visiting scholar from the University of Murcia, Spain, will spend the next four months collaborating with Gonzalo Bravo, associate professor in the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, examining the role of volunteers in amateur sport organizations.

Initially, Bravo and López-Gullón planned to study volunteers within medium-sized sport events, but then they decided to examine volunteers serving in amateur sport organizations. This shift was in part due to the lack of access to sport events due to COVID. Additionally, the decision was influenced by a casual observation López-Gullón encountered during his first month in Morgantown.

A graduate assistantship position with the West Virginia University Athletics Department propelled Ray Booker, from rural Amelia County, Va., to transition as a student to launching his professional career in the sports field. Booker, WVU Sport Management M.S. graduate (2021), serves as the stadium and game operations coordinator for the College Football Playoff postseason event that determines college football’s national championship.

Booker says he was determined to make his dreams come true, even if it meant making sacrifices. He never imagined that one day he would have the opportunity to work for the College Football Playoffs. A typical work-day for Booker involves strategic planning and preparation for the annual CFP Championship game. His tasks include preparing manuals that effectively communicate the CFP policies to all participants, coordinating game operations and addressing potential risk management issues.

The West Virginia Black Bears have announced Leighann Sainato, M.S. in Sport Management (2019), as their general manager. As the second general manager in Black Bears history, Sainato oversees a broad range of responsibilities, from budgeting and team travel arrangements to sales and marketing.

With an extensive range of duties, Sainato has learned to strategically schedule her work time. “Every day is about completing specific tasks. I map out my agenda down to the hour because I have multiple responsibilities. I’m a very hands-on GM. I directly oversee our public relations efforts, from marketing to writing press releases and creating graphics,” she said.

The Association for Applied Sport Psychology has awarded a seed grant to Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology third year graduate student Tommy Minkler. The grant is intended to provide support for AASP members, especially early career professionals/pre-tenured faculty or students, for their community outreach/research endeavors.

Minkler’s study is titled ‘Drivers of Change in Mindfulness-Based Interventions with Athletes: Investigating the Influence of Dosage, Readiness, and Attitudes.’ Minkler says that his research explores wellbeing and performance outcomes along with the factors that contribute to them, during and after mindfulness interventions with college student-athletes.