Latest News

Peer advisors have become a very important component within the sport and exercise psychology program. Created in the spring of 2009, peer advising offers a unique support system for SEP undergraduate students.

Peer advisors, who are typically juniors and seniors, have proven their focus on academics. They are selected due to their motivation and understanding of the major.

Zenzi Huysmans, sport and exercise psychology PhD student, recently received the Association for Applied Sport Psychology Student Diversity Conference Travel Grant. Huysmans, from Swaziland, a small country in South East Africa, is excited about the opportunity.

The grant provides racially and ethnically diverse students, with a developing interest in sport and exercise psychology, the chance to learn more about the field, develop professional connection within AASP, and also attend the annual conference in October.

Matt Oelbaum remembers the lessons learned in the classroom at WVU. Not just academic knowledge, but the life lessons his teachers shared. Earlier this fall he was awarded an Emmy for his show “MLB Tonight.” He credits his professors in contributing to his accomplishments.

Oelbaum’s teacher and mentor, Dr. Floyd Jones, associate professor, sport management, motivated him and his classmates to think through their goals. Jones urged the students to develop steps and a plan to reach their ultimate objective. With this encouragement, Oelbaum set his sights on earning an Emmy.

Ashley Morgan, BS Sports and Exercise Psychology 2015, wanted to put her degree to good use. Once she explored her options she discovered an interest in public administration. CPASS faculty guided Morgan through her decisions to make the next step in her career.

“After a long conversation with Dr. Zizzi, he had me thinking that there might be another program out there,” Morgan said. “This is when he introduced the public administration Master’s program to me.” After meeting with several faculty members about the program, Morgan decided this was the track for her.

Shane Lyons is glad to be home. After 27 years of climbing the ranks in athletic administration, he has landed at the top as the athletic director West Virginia University, the school where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sport management.

The Parkersburg, W.Va., native was named WVU’s athletic director and associate vice president in January 2015. He now oversees 18 varsity sports at WVU and has been entrusted with advancing the teams’ standings in the Big 12.

On the last day of summer, CPASS students and faculty turned out at 5:15 a.m. to support the first Morgantown Marathon. Dave Kerns, Head Football Athletic Trainer and part time CPASS faculty member, organized volunteer water stations for the two day event, September 19 – 20.

Kerns was a last minute recruit for the series of runs, including the Inaugural Mile, 8K, ½ Marathon and Full Marathon. He worked his “bye” weekend making sure that runners on Saturday and Sunday had fluids. He supplied cups, coolers and powdered Gatorade for the more than 1100 runners during the marathon. Kerns demonstrated to the students the importance of work ethics and patient-centered principles.

Welcome Byron Towner, WVU alum and West Virginia native, who serves as a clinical instructor in Coaching and Teaching Studies specializing in instructive content knowledge. After earning his Master of Science degree in physical education teacher education from WVU in 2007, Towner worked as a physical education teacher and basketball and football coach in Horry County, South Carolina for the last eight years.

Excited to return to his alma mater, Towner will lead current PETE students as they learn to properly and effectively teach sport skills. He hopes to bridge the gap between him and his students by incorporating his past experiences into the curriculum. His goal is to successfully teach his students while working toward his doctorate degree.

What makes a good sports city? What makes a good sports fan? How do sports teams reflect the cities/states they call home? CPASS Sport Management Associate Professor Dallas Branch was featured in a recent study examining 2015’s best and worst cities for sports fans. Branch provided insight on sports culture, including the effect of fantasy sports and improvements in in-home viewing and the community nature of fandom.

To find the best and worst cities for sports fans, WalletHub, a personal finance resource company, studied results from previous rankings of cities in various reports studying football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer. The sample included 341 U.S. cities, categorized from small to large according to population sizes.

Practical experience learned as the head coach of WVU club baseball, along with advice from faculty mentors, has helped an athletic coaching education graduate land a job in North Dakota. Jeff Pierce graduated this May with an emphasis in strength conditioning.

In early August 2015 he received a call from Williston State in Williston, ND to become the new assistant baseball coach and strength conditioning coordinator in the athletic department.

The College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Office of Research is hosting a fall 2015 speaker series to highlight research-related resources and advice for faculty and graduate assistants.

In the first of two presentations, Joy Edwards, Conflict of Interest in Research officer with the West Virginia University Office of Research Integrity and Compliance, will speak about research compliance and faculty responsibility, October 9, 3 p.m. in room 102, CPASSbuilding.

The College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, in partnership with the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the Brazilian Student Association at WVU, will celebrate the spirit of sport, friendship and inclusiveness during Diversity Week 2015 by sponsoring the Diversity Cup – Five vs. Five Coed Soccer Tournament.

This tournament will take place on Sunday, September 27 and Monday, September 28 on the recreational grass fields located in front of the CPASS building and Towers on the Evansdale Campus. Registration is free and open to all WVU undergraduate and graduate students.  Click here to register

Tobin Richardson joined CPASS this summer as a teaching assistant professor and will oversee the CPASS Living-Learning Community. While earning three degrees from Ball State University, Richardson coached intramural sports and served as a doctoral assistant. From Hartford City, Indiana, his dream was always to teach. Richardson is new to Morgantown. 

Richardson works primarily with freshman CPASS students teaching first-year seminar and special topics classes. His desire to teach has led him to WVU where he hopes to instill success in his students by utilizing the living-learning method while incorporating team activities into the classroom.

A position as a graduate assistant has led an ACE alum to a permanent role with the WVU Men’s basketball team. Jay Kuntz spent seven years with the WVU basketball program and has recently accepted the coordinator of player development position. Kuntz graduated in 2014 with a master’s degree in athletic coaching education.

Kuntz continued his career as a graduate assistant with the Mountaineer basketball team, even after earning his degree, with Coach Huggins serving as his mentor.

What started as a class project has expanded a CPASS graduate’s efforts in helping young athletes to excel.

Ethan Brown, a May 2015 B.S., Athletic Coaching Education graduate, developed sport-specific instruction related to skill techniques to help players succeed. He had to first convince the athletes’ parents to support the training, though.

A CPASS Athletic Coaching Education graduate has created a workout facility that offers area residents the same personal strength training that college, professional and Olympic athletes experience.

Viking Performance Training founder Jerry Handley’s interest in physical training was never tied to his participation in a sport, instead, he became intrigued by the science and passion that establishes the drive to succeed. According to Handley, a former West Virginia University conditioning coach, this makes Morgantown-based VPT unique to other gyms and weight lifting facilities.