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When JT Mellendick was pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Coaching Education, he couldn’t imagine being far from the field.

“During undergrad, I interned with the [WVU] baseball staff at Pro Performance in Morgantown,” Mellendick said. “During that internship, I worked with several high school athletes that went on to play Division I baseball and that really prepared me for working with baseball student-athletes.”

On any given Washington Husky game day, John Terry is at the stadium.

He parks his vehicle in the lot before the fans arrive and leaves hours after the parking lots clear and the fanbase goes home.

Black, green and gold: the colors Keith Ricci grew up wearing.

Ricci, who was raised 90 minutes from TD Garden, Boston, knew from a young age that he wanted to surround himself with Boston sports. When he graduated from WVU CPASS in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, he set out to begin his career in the industry.

For Nolan Harvath, being on the field and surrounded by sports was the ideal life. He grew up playing soccer and decided that he wanted to prepare for the college recruitment process.

Brian VanDongen believes in improving sports for all age groups, while enhancing youth athletic development in an age-appropriate manner. VanDongen featured the recreation professional’s critical role in play for children at his presentation during the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association March 2018 conference.

Thanks to everyone who came out to my talk on the recreation professional's role in play for children. Hope you are able to use the information in your communities! #NJRPA18 cc: @USPlayCoalition @NJRPA pic.twitter.com/G9597tyF5i

David Keiling has excelled in his career as a physical education health teacher in Frederick County (Md.) Public Schools. Keiling earned two degrees from WVU CPASS, his physical education teacher education undergraduate degree in 2009 and masters in physical education in 2015. He credits his WVU education as playing a critical role in helping him achieve numerous leadership roles to date. 

Keiling caught up recently with CPASS Professor Sean Bulger to share his good news. “I can honestly say I would not be writing this email about all the great things that have come my way if you and the rest of my professors had not instilled in me the work ethic, knowledge and confidence that I use every day in my career. Thank you for making me the professional physical educator I am today,” Keiling wrote. 

Jesse Michel earned his Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2013. Michel, who is from Los Angeles, went straight to work for the military as the lead master resilience trainer, performance expert at the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) Training Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The mission of CSF2 is to teach resilience, sport and performance psychology skills to U.S. Army Soldiers, family members and Department of Army civilians around the world. 

“While with CSF2, I provided hands-on mental training and self-development tools so that members of the Army family were better able to cope with adversity, perform better in stressful situations and thrive on and off the battlefield,” Michel explained.  

Caleb Fierbaugh has always enjoyed a passion for sports. His decision to turn his zeal into a career will soon take him across the globe to begin a new position with the Kaiwen Academy in Beijing, China.

As a senior at South Charleston (W.Va.) High School, he made the decision to go into coaching through the encouragement of his summer league coach. As a fan of West Virginia University football and basketball, Fierbaugh knew that WVU was the best choice for him.

In his first year as a head coach, College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences alumnus Dan Stratford used what he learned as a student and assistant coach to lead his team to the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer National Championship. 

Stratford, who first earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education Teacher Education in June 2009 and then a master’s in July 2015, both from CPASS, says consistent messaging kept the players at the University of Charleston focused. 

Donnie Platt, ACE master’s graduate, serves as director of operations for USA Baseball 15U national team. “My role consists of running one of the largest baseball events in the country, the National Team Championships,” said Platt.

According to Platt, he oversees staffing for more than 200 employees, meals, travel, scheduling, awards, media and creating a Scout Task Force, among other operational responsibilities. Read more about Donnie and USA Baseball in the following CPASS Q&A series.

A CPASS graduate will serve as the founding director of the West Virginia Mountain Biking League. The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) has named Cassie Smith to lead their efforts in the mountain state.  

Smith explains the excitement that comes with the NICA designation. “West Virginia, as one of the newest states accepted into the NICA family, will benefit from the effort. As league director, I’m honored to lead the effort of getting more kids on bikes,” said Smith.

The  West Virginia University  College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences will induct five graduates into its 2017 Hall of Fame and name its Outstanding Alumnus on Friday, October 20, at the  Erickson Alumni Center beginning with a reception from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and formal induction ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

The College will honor Jean Irion with the Outstanding Alumna award. The 2017 Hall of Fame inductees include Cynthia “Sam” Booth, David “DC” Colt, John Gay, Daniel F. Mahony and Olana “Tick” Hedrick-Sheaffer. 

Join us, Friday, Oct. 6, 12 p.m. at the Erickson Alumni Center to listen to PETE alumnus Bobby Waugh speak about inclusion in sports. This is part of the WVU Alumni Association Pioneer Session Week. 

Waugh is from Hagerstown, Maryland, but lives in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. He teaches and coaches in Washington County Maryland. Waugh teaches Health and Physical Education at Pleasant Valley and Williamsport Elementary Schools. He teaches an evening on-line health class at Williamsport and Hancock High Schools. Waugh  is the head Unified Bocce Coach at North Hagerstown High School and works with the Washington County Recreation Department. He is currently in his ninth year of teaching and tenth year of coaching.

Graduates from the West Virginia University sport management program in the College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences are known for their success in the sports industry. CPASS alumni often land leadership positions within professional and collegiate organizations. As technology and the industry expand, so do WVU graduates and their roles.

Christopher Mann, Sport Management, BS 2002, is the agency lead on the T-Mobile account and was responsible for securing a partnership with the top two North American esports organizations, Cloud9 and Team SoloMid. Mann has served as the senior account director in Global Strategy, Partnerships and Activation for WME IMG for the past year, jumping head first into esports after 10 plus years working on the Campbell’s Chunky Soup NFL campaign. 

While many were fleeing the area, Kennedy was desperately trying to return to her office in Brooklyn, where she would spend the night with other New York City’s Transit Authority (NYCT) officials, devising a plan to safely resume operations of the suspended subway system. In the ensuing days, planning would also need to begin on rebuilding the damaged lines by the World Trade Center.

As vice president of the NYCT, Kennedy oversees the Office of System Safety for the largest transit property in North America, one that carries more than two billion passengers a year and encompasses more than 70 miles of track.