Category: Faculty Spotlights

The Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute is excited to welcome two new Clemson faculty members to its cohort of Faculty Fellows.

Brook Russell, Ph.D. 

Associate Professor of Applied Statistics, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

Dr. Russell is an associate professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (SMSS), with a portion of his research and mentoring activities focusing in sports analytics and human performance. He has collaborated with Paul Hogan, Senior Assistant Football Strength and Conditioning Coach at Clemson University, to understand the extreme athleticism of football players. This collaboration has resulted in the manuscript Analyzing dependence matrices to investigate relationships between National Football League Combine event performances, published in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports in 2018. In this work, they analyzed National Football League Combine event performances using both extreme-value and non-extremes-based approaches and explored how these approaches can inform the evaluation of NFL prospects. This research was then presented at the New England Symposium on Statistics in Sports in October 2021. Dr. Russell aims to further examine the performance characteristics of elite football prospects and contribute to the growing body of research on sport performance metrics and talent evaluation.

He is also currently partnering with the Institute’s Dan Duncan Professor of Sports Marketing, Dr. Angeline Scheinbaum, to understand how sponsorships of local sporting events impact corporate community involvement.

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Divya Srinivasan, Ph.D., CPE

McQueen Quattlebaum Professor of Industrial Engineering and Bioengineering 

Dr. Srinivasan is the McQueen Quattlebaum Professor of Industrial Engineering and Bioengineering, and a Faculty Scholar in the Clemson University School of Health Research. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2010. She worked as an EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Musculoskeletal Research in Sweden. She joined the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech in 2016 and served as an assistant and associate professor there prior to joining Clemson in 2021. She currently directs the Biomechanics, Ergonomics, Safety and Training laboratories at Clemson University. She is also the director of the Clemson SHERPA Center, which focuses on human performance and worker safety/health. She has over two decades of research experience in human performance assessments, human motion modeling (including digital human modeling), injury prevention, and collaborative and wearable robotics, including exoskeletons to improve performance, health, and safety. Her research program has been funded by multiple grants from the NSF, NIOSH, NIH, and industry sponsors totaling nearly $28 million in the last 10 years, resulting in over 85 peer-reviewed journal publications and almost 200 international conference presentations to date. 

By Nathan Inman

Today, RHBSSI’s first semester of the all-new Motorsports Monday is coming to an end. To wrap up the first iteration of the series, the Institute provides a synopsis of the history of motorsports at Clemson and a glimpse into what the future may look like.

To learn more about the topic, RHBSSI sat down with its endowed Alan Kulwicki Professor of Motorsports Engineering, Dr. Rob Prucka, from the Department of Automotive Engineering. 

Prucka arrived at Clemson in 2008 as a professor in automotive engineering. Since then, he has moved through the department and now sits as the interim chair. Prior to coming to Clemson, Prucka worked with the Ford Motor Company and was a consultant for the manufacturing of racing engines. Right before he began his professorship, Prucka was offered a job in the racing industry. However, Prucka turned down that offer, believing there was something bigger in the automotive program at Clemson. Nearly 20 years later, it’s safe to say that assumption was correct.

Throughout his time with the department, he has helped lead students participating in Deep Orange, a vehicle prototype program that gives graduate students the opportunity to build a vehicle of their own. Over the course of 16 projects thus far, two have specifically involved motorsports. The first of those two projects was Deep Orange 9, which was completed in 2018 and was a Next-Generation Rallycross racecar built in partnership with Honda. This project was particularly impactful for Prucka, saying it “totally changed my career path.”

“The director of Deep Orange left,” he added, “and I just stepped in and said, ‘either this program goes away, or I run it,’ and so I just ran it.”

Just two years later, another racecar model came out of the Deep Orange program. In 2020, graduate students completed the build of Deep Orange 12, a completely autonomous IndyCar. When the car was completed, it was taken to the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500, to be put to the test. Prucka mentioned that, when the car sailed off into turn 1, he wasn’t fully certain whether the car would survive.

“We weren’t really sure the whole time we were designing that car if it was ever gonna work,” he said, “because we know all the engineering and all the numbers are fine, but we weren’t sure when that thing really went into a corner at high speed, the steering would actually work.”

So, when the car went into the first turn at 140 miles per hour, Prucka braced for the worst. Instead, the car made it through completely fine, and the hard work of all the students involved in the project had paid off.

“I almost fell to the ground,” he said. “I was just so shocked, you know, all these calculations we did worked. That was just overwhelming, because it was at such a famous place, and me as an engine person, like, ‘here’s this engine we helped design,’ and it’s blasting around this track.”

With all that has been done over the last several years, it’s clear that motorsports are rooted deep in the heart of Clemson. So, what does the future look like for the years to come?

In recent years, the automotive engineering program has launched the careers of many students, as they have gone on to land jobs in motorsports shortly after graduation. Notable places past students have landed include the Cadillac Formula 1 team, Roush Yates Engines, and other various F1 and NASCAR roles. Prucka says the goal for the future is to keep the program evolving with the rest of the world, so that it can continue to produce results for its students.

“I just look forward to working with students and truly trying to build this new generation of talent that needs to be out there in the industry, because they need it, right?” Prucka said. “And so, there’s a great opportunity, the industry wants to help.”

Prucka added that this all goes back to that decision he made in 2008 when he turned down the racing world and came to Clemson.

“To me, that’s the best part,” he added. “I mean, that’s why I’m in the academic world and not out in the racing world, is that I really just enjoy working with students. I feel like it’s a good fit for what I like to do.”

As Dr. Prucka continues to lead the future of motorsports at Clemson forward, he hopes he can continue to provide these students with all the opportunities their hearts desire. And if the past is any indication, those students will be in good hands.

By Nathan Inman

Of all the creatures on planet Earth, only humans are aware of their own mortality. It’s often a taboo subject in day-to-day life, but it’s especially sensitive in the world of motorsports. There’s an old adage in life that the good ones are taken way too soon, and the same could be said for motorsports. Two of the greatest racing drivers to have ever lived raced in two very different forms of motorsport — but their fates were all the same. 

On March 30, RHBSSI Faculty Fellow Dr. Felipe Tobar and a colleague from the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department were published in the Routledge Handbook of Dark Events. Their chapter, titled “Death at play: Celebration and memorialisation of motorsport’s dead,” covers the public’s reactions to the deaths of Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna and NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

The chapter focuses on how the drivers are memorialized, both at the racetracks where they lost their lives and back in their respective hometowns. According to Dr. Tobar and Dr. Ramshaw, memorials at racetracks tend to be more somber, recognizing the dangers of motorsports. This contrasts with how the drivers are remembered in their hometowns. Compared with these memorials, others are more celebratory, focusing more on the lives the drivers lived and their identities. 

Senna’s life was taken on May 1, 1994, during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Italy. At nearly 200 miles per hour, Senna’s car veered off track and slammed head-on into a concrete barrier. Upon being rushed to the hospital, Senna was declared dead shortly after, at just 34 years old. In just 10 full seasons in Formula 1, Senna had earned 41 race victories and three World Drivers’ Championships. His death remains one of the biggest “what ifs?” in racing history, as Senna likely had several more seasons ahead of him. 

According to the chapter, Senna has been memorialized at Imola in various fashions. Notably, on the tenth anniversary of his death, there was a ceremonial lap around the circuit in one of Senna’s Formula 1 cars driven by one of his former teammates. Years later, on the 25th anniversary of Senna’s death, there was “a Catholic Mass at the Tamburello curve at 2 PM (the time and exact location of Senna’s fatal accident).” Additionally, there was an exhibition at the track featuring multiple of Senna’s former race cars. This contrasts with how Senna is remembered in his hometown of São Paulo, Brazil. Shortly after his death, the Brazilian government declared three days of national mourning, and his funeral was attended by more than three million people. 

In the years since, Senna has been memorialized in numerous ways throughout São Paulo and the rest of the country. Notably, he has been recognized through the “naming of numerous racetracks, metro lines, bus stations, streets, neighborhoods, bridges and a federal highway.”

Following Senna’s death, in a twist of fate, Earnhardt would go on to win the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race later that day at Talladega. Upon exiting the car in victory lane, Earnhardt opened his post-race interview remembering Senna.

“I want to send our thoughts and prayers to the family of Ayrton Senna and all his fans,” Earnhardt said. “He was a great racer, and it’s a great shame to see him go as he did. You know, it’s tough.”

Less than a decade later, on February 18, 2001, Earnhardt was running third on the final lap of the Daytona 500. With half a lap to go, he sat behind two race cars he owned, including the No. 8 that was piloted by his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Attempting to fend off the rest of the pack for his drivers ahead of him, Earnhardt was turned at a high rate of speed into the turn four wall as the field raced towards the checkered flag. Earnhardt’s drivers would finish first and second, as his own car rolled down the banking and came to rest in the infield grass. Much like Senna, Earhardt was rushed to a local hospital and declared dead shortly after. In the moments following his death, NASCAR president Mike Helton made an announcement that brought the nation to a halt.

It was just five words, but they held a weight much heavier: “We have lost Dale Earnhardt.”

In the years since his death, Daytona has constructed a statue of Earnhardt winning the 1998 Daytona 500 near the track’s tour entrance, where fans often leave flowers and other memorabilia. Additionally, on years that align with the anniversary of Earnhardt’s death, fans in the stands hold out three fingers on the third lap of the event.

According to the chapter, the memorials throughout Earnhardt’s hometown of Kannapolis, North Carolina, are much more celebratory. Since 2023, the city has hosted an annual street race named the Earnhardt Outdoors Showdown. The chapter describes this as “hardly solemn,” as the event celebrates the legacy the driver left behind. Much like Daytona, Kannapolis has erected its own statue, but it is very different from the one on display at the speedway. The statue in Earnhardt’s hometown “features a statue of Earnhardt in Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots and a button‑up shirt rather than a racing suit” and is even often a site for wedding ceremonies. This exemplifies that the statue is much more celebratory than it is somber.

These variations in how drivers are memorialized showcase how hometowns mourn differently than a national audience. Regardless, whether the memorials be solemn as they are at the racetracks or celebratory as they are in the drivers’ hometowns, one thing remains certain: the lives and legacies of the drivers will forever be remembered.

By Katie Gerbasich

In March, Dr. Ashlyn Hardie, Institute fellow from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, co-led the second cohort of Starting Block Accelerator in Cape Town, South Africa, with Dr. Per Svensson from Louisiana State University. This initiative is the first of its kind, designed to address the research-practice gap in cross-sector work while advancing research in the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) sector. 

Hardie describes this work in the SDP sector as “the intentional use of sport, recreation, play, and physical activity as a tool to achieve broader societal-level development goals. Often, those programmatic goals align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (known as the UN SDGs), and sport offers an alternative platform to tackle community issues.” 

According to the UN General Assembly and the UN Action Plan governing bodies, sport is viewed as a powerful tool for addressing key issues such as social integration, physical health and wellness, gender equality, peacebuilding, crime prevention and the development of sustainable communities. 

The Starting Block Accelerator is an initiative designed and implemented by Hardie and colleagues as a week-long capacity-building business accelerator program for sport-based nonprofits. Five leaders from organizations worldwide were invited to participate, each working directly with beneficiaries in their countries to tackle issues aligned with the UN SDGs. 

“We try very intentionally to have a really diverse group of participants in each cohort because we want them to speak to their experience with different types of funders, recreational tools and their experience navigating challenges in different countries on different continents, so they are not just learning from us but also from each other,” Hardie said. 

The Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute provided the initial seed funding in 2024 for the first-ever Starting Block Accelerator in London, England, enabling the team to gather preliminary data on the program’s effectiveness and secure support for this second round in Cape Town, South Africa. 

This year’s cohort included organizations that utilize a variety of sports, including soccer, ultimate frisbee, mountain biking, wrestling and rugby, with participants representing those organizations from Brazil, Botswana, South Africa, the Czech Republic and India. Two of the five participants were female founders. One was recently named Vice President of the African Women in Sports Initiative, and the other was a former Brazilian Olympic wrestler. 

The first three days of the Accelerator are curriculum-based, drawing on decades of sport-for-development research to create evidence-based pathways for management practices. For several reasons, research is challenging for practitioners to access and use. The objective of the Starting Block Accelerator is to support organizations through a research-backed curriculum that debunks misconceptions, provides networking opportunities and creates a collaborative learning environment.

“In the nonprofit world, people often rely on trial and error because they lack access to information, which can be expensive and time-consuming,” Hardie said. “We try to give them evidence-based strategies so they don’t have to just guess and repeat—research shows what is most likely to work.”

On the final day of the workshop, participants attended a networking session where they practiced pitching their organizations to well-known stakeholders in the SDP sector. Cape Town is an established, global hub for SDP work. This location provided strong access to a network of established leaders in the sport-for-development space, offering valuable connections and feedback to the emerging organizations in this cohort.

Hardie spoke about the impact of the first Starting Block in London, just one year ago, stating: “We’ve had major milestones for last year’s participants either from the connections that they made out of the networking day last year or skills that they implemented from the training of the workshop. For example, multiple London participants have found new funding success over the last year, linking back to our grant writing workshop or networking day.”

Cape Town’s proximity to Mozambique also allowed Hardie to visit Lwandi Surf, a participant from the 2025 London cohort, where she gathered insights on the program’s long-term impact and next steps.

“We want to just keep empowering these organizations to really optimize whatever they’re trying to do for the people they’re trying to serve, with more financial sustainability and safety than they’re doing before.”

Hardie is also the Founder and Executive Director of the New Way Sport Fund, which provides unrestricted funding, alongside consultancy-supported funding, to selected organizations working toward sustainable solutions to organizational challenges. 

“We’re not just going to buy soccer balls because they get lost or pop, “Hardie said. “But if you want to invest in something like solar panels, to solve an ongoing power issue, that’s a sustainable solution we want to help with, which a lot of funding mechanisms won’t allow.” 

NWSF is funded for a 2nd cycle, with applications expected to open in mid-May of this year.

April 6 recently marked the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Learn more about the role sport plays in driving social change here. 

By Griffin Barfield

At a university that prides itself on athletics and academics, there’s a group within that helps student-athletes find success on the field and in the classroom.

The Clemson Athletic Council acts as the liaison between the University’s faculty, administration and athletic departments, meeting bi-monthly to discuss important topics that student-athletes face.

Meetings are joined by Athletic Director, Graham Neff, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Matt Lombardi, and other senior members of the Athletic Department staff while allowing open discussions with members of the council throughout their meetings. 

Each college elects a representative and an alternative, and the Clemson president appoints a representative from the University. Both Undergraduate and Graduate Student Government as well as Faculty, Staff and Student Senate are represented. Two student-athletes from the executive board of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) represent all student-athletes on campus. 

Senior Health Sciences major and President of SAAC, Jake Serra, went from specifically focusing on his track and field career to making a bigger difference in his position as a student-athlete.

“I was thinking, how can I make an impact in another way?” Serra said. “So, that’s where the Student Athlete Advisory Committee comes in. We have one here at Clemson that, unbiased, is the best one in the nation.” 

Assistant Professor of sports communication and faculty fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, Rikishi Smith-Rey, Ph.D., served on her university’s SAAC when she was a student-athlete as an undergraduate, going full circle when she was voted on last spring to represent the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences as a faculty liaison. 

Having a wide variety of faculty from colleges across the University and staff from the athletic department help improve communication between the academic institution and the athletic department. 

“We get to bridge the two of them,” Smith-Rey said. “We get to bridge the academic institutional side to the athletic side, and SAAC is in there as well, and they’re telling us how they are getting the teams more intertwined. It’s great seeing all the different groups coming together.”

Another faculty fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute and a professor of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences within the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, Greg Batt, Ph.D., has served on the Clemson Athletic Council since the fall of 2019. He has seen important topics covered from the COVID-19 pandemic to NIL. 

Committee Structure

The Clemson Athletic Council reports directly to the President with an Executive Committee that is comprised of the Chair, Vice-Chair, the chairs of three subcommittees, and the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR), Antonis Katsiyannis, who was appointed by the President. 

The Chair of Athletic Council, Mary Anne Raymond, a Professor of Marketing and Thomas F. Chapman Distinguished Professor of Leadership, creates the agendas for the meetings, communicates with both the President and Athletic Director regarding the focus of the subcommittees, and communicates any special initiatives that are directed by the President. 

Meetings are led by Raymond, with updates and reports by Neff, Lombardi, SAAC, and the FAR at every meeting. New coaches, the Director of NIL, and leaders like Natalie Honnen, Executive Senior Associate AD for Student – Athlete Services and Performance, are invited to speak at Athletic Council meetings to enhance members’ understanding of the many areas the athletic department encompasses and to provide insights into areas where athletic council members can collaborate and contribute, such as the Student Athlete Wellness initiative. 

The council was typically organized into three sub-committees: Academic Policies and Integrity, Student Athlete Welfare and Experience, and Administration and Communication. While all three committees serve important roles, there’s been more of an emphasis by all AC members on Student Athlete Welfare and Experience, which Batt chairs and says is the “main heartbeat” of the council. 

Professor of Marketing, Mary Anne Raymond, who is Chair for the Executive Committee as well, noted that the Council has shifted its focus to work on aiding the wellness of the student-athletes, who look to balance academics, athletics, and a positive social experience. 

“We’re focusing on the well-being of the student-athletes,” she said. “I think that will stay for a while because there’s been so much going on with student well-being and the population’s well-being in general. Should we need to shift, or should the President have a special project, we would focus on that project as well.”

The AC brings in the likes of Serra and the Vice President of Internal Affairs with SAAC, Rose Imbesi, a senior Marketing major, as well. Both were appointed in the spring of 2024 and have served since. They provide the perspective of the student-athletes, expressing their needs and ways to improve the way they handle the academic side of their experience. 

“They allow looking behind the curtain in athletics, but we are fully academics, so we understand that world,” Batt said, “so we can be liaisons for them.” 

Drs. Batt and Smith-Rey are also faculty fellows with the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, and communicate these important athletic topics back to their research and educational peers at the university and nationally.

Serra and Imbesi also work towards bringing each athletic program together, allowing more communication and community between each group of student-athletes. 

“My goal is really just to increase that feeling of community within athletics so you’re not just supporting your own team and seeing your own team every day,” Imbesi said, “to really bring that community together so that we are all one group of Clemson Athletics, not just separate teams.”

Issues and Outcomes

Collegiate athletics are in an interesting time with the rise of topics like NIL and the House case, meaning that the topics the Clemson Athletic Council is focusing on can vary at each meeting. 

Neff and Lombardi emphasize numbers like graduation rates, retention rates and GPAs during the meetings, which have allowed Serra and Imbesi to create a solution to how student-athletes can be protected for their academics, providing support like tutoring to further their education. 

Now, the protection plan has been implemented across multiple schools of the ACC, SEC and Big 10, becoming a product of the use of the Council’s meetings. 

“That was something where we went to these professors in the Athletic Council,” Serra said. “I said, ‘Hey, here’s my idea. What can we take from this?’ They brought it to President Clements; they brought it to their colleges, and we were able to explode across the nation with that, but it really started here at Clemson.”

Another way that the members connect with the student-athletes is by attending lunches with various student-athletes throughout the semesters. The Clemson Athletic Council works with SACC to organize dates and times for faculty to have lunch with student-athletes, listening to their thoughts, concerns and recommendations for things that they would like to see from an academic standpoint. 

“With my involvement on the Athletic Council, it gave me a real grassroots perspective of the challenges of being a student-athlete,” Batt said, “and so my involvement in the Athletic Council, I think that experience has been made richer by the fact that I get to see what it really looks like, day in and day out, for these guys trying to balance sports, academics and a college experience.”

The meetings also serve as an opportunity to correct any misinformation that may be framed throughout the University. Then, solutions about how to better communicate with faculty or student-athletes are created to bring truth into the respective spaces. 

“It’s been really useful,” Imbesi said. “I think to have that communication between teachers and athletics administration, just so they know and are kind of in the loop of what’s actually happening and what’s actually going on, because there’s so much happening.”

When new head coaches are hired for a given program, they are also given a chance to speak to the Council, allowing council members to ask questions and get to know them at a personal level. 

As for the future, ideas like NIL, paying athletes and well-being are topics that will not go away, but the Clemson Athletic Council will continue to overcome obstacles that are presented around the University or the country, depending on what they are. 

For Serra and Imbesi, there are ideas of a ticketing plan that would incentivize undergraduate and graduate students to come to non-revenue-generating Olympic sports, looking to continue to create the community between every athletic program at Clemson. 

Serra believes that the best is yet to come with SAAC and the Council as a whole. 

“We’re just such a passionate group that is really willing to pioneer this new change,” he said. “A lot of this stuff that we have in mind is not out yet. It’s not, we’ll see how it goes. It’s a lot of checks and balances we have, but I think continually supporting student athletes is always going to be our number one priority.”

By Katie Gerbasich

At the conclusion of Clemson University’s Research and Creative Endeavors in the Sports Sciences (RECESS) Symposium, hosted by the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute the week of November 10, 2025, four Clemson faculty were honored with 2025 GRIT Awards. These awards recognize nominated individuals or groups who distinguish themselves in various areas of sports science. A trophy was presented to the following winners. 

Community and Outreach in the Sports Sciences

Tobar studies the intersection of sport, tourism and heritage. He also serves as the head coach of Clemson’s Paralympic Soccer Program and co-founded the Football Tourism Institute, which aims to understand football tourism at the local and global levels. 

Over the summer of 2025, Tobar travelled internationally conducting sports research. In early May, he took a group of students to Germany to study the Culture of Remembrance and Political Activism in German Football. While abroad, he conducted two research studies: one examining stickers in and around stadiums as a form of fan expression and political activism, and another exploring how German soccer clubs suppress or communicate Holocaust history.

Tobar’s inclusive and critical teaching practices earned him the 2025 Junior Tenure-Track Outstanding Teaching Award from Clemson University’s College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. His commitment to experiential learning includes organizing class field trips to venues such as the Bank of America Stadium and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, facilitating networking opportunities with more than 41 sports industry professionals, and supporting undergraduate students as they participate in local sporting events.

For his dedication to both the Clemson and global community, the Institute has awarded Felipe Tobar with the GRIT Award for Community and Outreach in the Sports Sciences for the 2025-26 academic year. 

“He is richly deserving of this award,” commended Greg Ramshaw, Ph.D., Tobar’s colleague in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.

Research in the Sports Sciences

Corr’s scholarly research examines the institutional and organizational settings of collegiate athletics, with attention to the impact and outcomes of participation on various stakeholders. He serves as the executive director of the College Sport Research Institute and is the program manager for the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation.

“Dr. Chris Corr exemplifies the spirit of the GRIT Award in Research in Sports Sciences through his exceptional productivity, interdisciplinary collaboration and measurable impact on the study and practice of sport,” Sarah Stokowski, Corr’s colleague in the College of Education, said. 

Over the past three years, Corr has produced an extraordinary body of scholarship, authoring or co-authoring more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, multiple book chapters, and numerous presentations at national and international conferences. 

In a recent article, Corr explored public sentiment surrounding Clemson University’s decision to proceed with a football game the day after Hurricane Helene. The case highlighted the importance of organizational transparency when confronting crises.

Corr’s work has consistently been supported by competitive funding sources, including RHBSSI, the NCAA, the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), and USA Ultimate, demonstrating the quality and applicability of his research. 

“Equally important, Dr. Corr’s collaborative spirit enriches Clemson’s research environment,” Stokowski said. “He actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students, co-authors with emerging scholars, and engages in applied projects that extend Clemson’s land-grant mission.”

Student Engagement in the Sports Sciences

Recognized for her unwavering commitment to student success, Sarah Stokowski, Ph.D., has made an impact on graduate education and student engagement within the Athletic Leadership program. She has supervised more than 75 doctoral students across both the Higher Education and P12 concentrations. 

“Dr. Stokowski is unbelievably passionate and committed to student learning and success,” noted her colleague from the College of Education, Chris Corr, Ph.D. “She is tremendously caring and committed to students’ scholarly achievement, and students walk away from her research methods course with a tangible academic publication and, more importantly for their professional development, an in-depth understanding of the research process. 

Her commitment to publishing with students has led many graduate students to continue their education by pursuing terminal degrees. 

“While Dr. Stokowski is an all-around tremendous scholar and influential member of the campus community, her commitment to student excellence and achievement is to be marveled at,” Corr said.In addition to her mentorship efforts, Stokowski was awarded a 2025 ESPN Research Fellowship by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute (IGI). Through this fellowship, she will research how student-athletes perceive and engage with online sports betting content. To learn more about her work, click here.

Friend of the Institute

Gurchiek is the principal investigator in the Human Movement Biomechanics Lab (HuMBL), where his team uses standard motion capture technologies for human movement analysis and biomechanics. 

A recent project, funded by RHBSSI, involved developing a passive assistive hamstring device to support muscle recovery. Read more about the work here.

Gurchiek has also been integral in collaborating with the Institute on plans for the University’s new human performance center on the ground floor of the student wellness center, which has recently broken ground.

“The Institute is very appreciative to Dr. Gurchiek for his continued leadership in the development of this new facility that will bring human performance research at Clemson to national prominence,” said John DesJardins, Ph.D., director of the Institute.

By Katie Gerbasich

Kathryn Kisska-Schulze, J.D., LL.M., a Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute Faculty Fellow and the Elliott Davis Associate Professor in the School of Accountancy in The Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, recently published work on athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) rights that was relied upon by the Tennessee legislature in 2025. Her article, An Evolving Landscape: Name, Image and Likeness Rights in High School Athletes, co-authored by Adam Epstein from Central Michigan University and Nathaniel Grow from Indiana University, was cited as a research reference and practice aid in drafting Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-25-1103, which addresses NIL rights.

The article examines the evolving NIL landscape for high school student-athletes, identifying potential financial risks and proposing a framework to better protect minor student-athletes entering endorsement agreements.

“This honor showcases the impact our research can have on major state legislative interests,” Kissaka-Schulze said.

In spring 2024, Kisska-Schulze launched the School of Accountancy’s first undergraduate sports law course. She also teaches a graduate sports law course for the College of Business’ Master of Science in Sports Business and Analytics program.

Kisska-Schulze has served as chair of the Sports and Entertainment Law Section of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, represents the College of Business on Clemson University’s Faculty Athletic Council, and was recently named a Brooks Sports Science Institute Fellow.

Individuals who suffer from chronic pain have increasingly come to rely on kratom, a Southeast Asian plant whose principal psychoactive alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), may soon become Schedule I Controlled Substances in the United States. The two compounds bind to, and partially activate, opioid receptors in the brain.

“People in Southeast Asia have long relied on teas brewed from kratom leaves not only to manage pain but to ease the symptoms of opiate withdrawal,” said Bryan E. Denham, Ph.D., Campbell Professor of Sports Communication in the Department of Communication at Clemson. “Although kratom is not entirely safe, it appears to be less hazardous than concentrated, synthetic versions of 7-OH, manufactured by unscrupulous firms. Synthetics are sold at gas stations and vape stores and are packaged to attract the attention of high-school and college-aged individuals.”

Denham’s study appears in the Journal of Substance Use and addresses the extent to which kratom use correlates with health concerns and signs of dependency on other substances. One finding showed that individuals struggling to quit prescription pain relievers were more than four times as likely as others to have used kratom, a substance the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers “drug of concern.” In July 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised the DEA to add mitragynine and 7-OH to the list of Controlled Substances, and the DEA is currently considering that recommendation.

“It will be interesting to see what the DEA chooses to do in the coming months,” Denham said. “It announced plans in 2016 to ban mitragynine and 7-OH, but it received significant pushback from kratom users. This time, the FDA has made it a point to state plainly that its recommendation does not include the kratom plant itself. It is primarily interested in the two alkaloids and especially the hazardous synthetic products. A trade group, the American Kratom Association, has endorsed the recommended actions on mitragynine and 7-OH.”

Denham studies the media, health, and policy aspects of substance use in sport and society. He said that in sport, athletes have used kratom to increase energy and to recuperate from intense exercise. Some athletes believe it enhances their focus during competition, and some experiment with it for pain relief. Technically, kratom is not a banned substance, but the United States Anti-Doping Agency advises athletes to avoid using it given potential side effects. Athletes and non-athletes alike should appreciate that kratom is a drug, not a dietary supplement, and they should be aware of manipulative labels on synthetic substances.

In addition to his study in the Journal of Substance Use, Denham has examined the agenda-building function of mass media on kratom policy, exploring how coverage in major national news outlets and regional news organizations has impacted regulatory action. Denham said the Tampa Bay Times, in particular, has examined kratom use in depth, and its reporting has impacted coverage elsewhere in addition to policy conversations at the state and national levels.

By Katie Gerbasich

Division 1 student-athletes already battle the complexities of balancing classes with practices and a social life. When medical conditions emerge, the situation is elevated to a new level. Using funding from the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute (RHBSSI), Department of Communication faculty and RHBSSI fellows, Brandon Boatwright, Ph.D., and Rikishi Simith-Rey, Ph.D., are conducting an exploratory study, hoping to illuminate student-athletes’ challenges as they compete at a high level while managing chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases. 

His own journey with an autoimmune disease inspired Boatwright. After a conversation with former Division Ⅰ athlete, Smith-Rey, the idea for the study was born. The two are now working with students Marissa Bennett and Ava Quallen, from the Departments of Communication and Health Science, respectively, to find ways to assist these athletes. 

“Life as a student-athlete is complicated and complex already, but to feel like you’re fighting against your own body in the context of being a college student and trying to navigate your schedule builds the stresses of all that,” Boatwright said. 

A key point in the research has been identifying what resources are available for these individuals. There is a fluctuation in availability among Division Ⅰ programs, and an even greater disparity when comparing Division Ⅰ  to Division Ⅱ.  

“When we think about resources here at Clemson, student-athletes have some of the best stuff, but not everyone goes to Clemson,” Smith-Rey said. “Not everyone, even if you are D1, has the same resources, so how can we identify what resources student athletes need? What ways can we assist them in communicating their needs to other stakeholders in their lives?”

The study is currently in the data collection process. The team has spoken with different student-athletes across various sports with Type 1 Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn’s disease, among other illnesses. 

“The folks we have spoken with have been incredible people and athletes competing at such a super high level,” Boatwright said. “They are just incredible people for having to deal with the things that they have dealt with and still preserving.”

Smith-Rey commends these interviews for being a space where these student-athletes feel seen. Often, chronic illnesses or autoimmune diseases have an element of invisibility that makes communication a challenge. 

After speaking with the team, these athletes feel like someone understands their unique story. Boatwright shared a narrative about an athlete with Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

“They would just have to wake up and tell players, teammates, coaches or someone that it’s not gonna happen because I can’t get out of bed,” Boatwright said. “‘I physically just can not sit up enough to get out of bed. It’s just one of those days.’” 

Athletic programs and teams can become better advocates by better understanding the challenges these athletes face due to their medical conditions. 

“We can be that support button right now,”  Smith-Rey said. “Someone is speaking up for you and looking for ways to assist you in this.” 

If you are or were an athlete who competed at the Division Ⅰ  to Division Ⅱ level, are no more than five years removed from your sport, and were diagnosed with a chronic illness or autoimmune disease before competing in college, click here to set up an interview. 

By: Griffin Barfield

Christopher Pearce graduated from Clemson in 2024 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He received the Markvan Bellamy Brooks Endowed Scholarship in 2024. During his time at Clemson, he worked at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) as a Research Assistant and was an IT Intern at the Watt Family Innovation Center.

How have you utilized your major/concentration in sports to help your career?

I have used my degree to grow my background in the automotive industry both directly and indirectly. While my internships provided me with the opportunity to apply my engineering skills directly, my current role is more focused on managing projects in the engineering realm. Group projects at Clemson and prior industry knowledge helped prepare me for this type of role.

What is your current role, where, and what do you do?

I am currently a project manager at Porsche Cars North America, supporting their engineering and quality teams. I am also responsible for managing the technical review of various escalated field cases.

What was your journey like since graduating from Clemson?

Since graduating from Clemson, I have moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where I continued my internship with Porsche and was soon hired into my current role.

What advice would you give to future Brooks scholars as they approach post-grad?

My advice to all students is to build relationships everywhere you go. These relationships will help you grow and navigate through your industry.