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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.”

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.

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.

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.

Adam Zundell will serve as the inaugural director of communications and marketing within the emerging West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences. Zundell will lead strategic initiatives as the College of Education and Human Services and the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences transition for the launch, set for July 2022.

As a seasoned communicator, Zundell will focus on promoting efforts by the new College that highlight the holistic development and well-being of individuals at every stage of life. The new College is comprised of three schools, the School of Education, School of Counseling and Well-being and School of Sport Sciences, combining efforts to advance academics, student support and research.

Morgan’s Message, a pioneering student club within the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, was selected to receive a grant in support of their ongoing efforts to promote mental wellness for athletes.

The group participated in the “I Belong” event during a recent WVU Women’s Basketball game. “Our team networked and connected with other people and organizations flawlessly. The table looked incredible and brought us a lot of awesome opportunities,” Nora Hanlon, club secretary, said. “The I Belong mirror was especially loved. I could not be prouder of the team and I know they feel the same.”

In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the WVU Association for Women in Sports Media and A2WD will host a panel discussion on mental health for women in sports on February 2 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. in the Media Innovation Center on the 4th floor, Evansdale Crossing or via live stream. The discussion, titled Women in Sport and Mental Health, is in partnership with the Association of Women in Sport Media – AWSM.

The panel will feature Marla Gladstone, doctoral student, CPASS coaching and teaching studies, as moderator. Panel participants include Kayza Massey and Brooke Brown, WVU Women’s soccer student athletes; Olivia Sneed, assistant director of athletics communication and CPASS SM master’s graduate; Sofía España Pérez, clinical and sports behavioral health therapist, WVU Athletics and CPASS doctorate degree in sport, exercise and performance psychology; and Felicia Hooper, behavioral health therapist, Carruth Center.