[{"id":943,"date":"2026-04-03T17:08:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=943"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:14:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:14:32","slug":"celebrating-national-student-athlete-day-more-than-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/04\/03\/celebrating-national-student-athlete-day-more-than-the-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating National Student-Athlete Day: More than the game"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":true},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":true},"author":4292,"featured_media":955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63180,181],"tags":[62377,10,63159],"coauthors":[63181],"class_list":["post-943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","post-password-required","hentry","category-all-posts","category-clemson-athletics","category-students","tag-brooks-sports-science-institute","tag-clemson-university","tag-interns"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/04\/IMG_0549-150x150.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=943"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":935,"date":"2026-03-30T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=935"},"modified":"2026-03-30T13:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T13:50:33","slug":"clemson-baja-saes-2026-vehicle-build-nearing-completion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/03\/30\/clemson-baja-saes-2026-vehicle-build-nearing-completion\/","title":{"rendered":"Clemson Baja SAE\u2019s 2026 vehicle build nearing completion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Nathan Inman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2420\" height=\"1816\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-938\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3326240595789953;width:429px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9.jpeg 2420w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9-1536x1153.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9-2048x1537.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2420px) 100vw, 2420px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A Clemson Baja student welds the chassis together.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As the semester is entering the home stretch, so too is the newest vehicle build for Clemson Baja SAE. After months of designing, the vehicle is now in its final stages of the build phase as the team prepares to compete in a competition in New York this June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RHBSSI sat down with Nicholas Roessler, a freshman automotive engineering major and the team&#8217;s chassis lead and head welder, to discuss how the build has progressed over the semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe new build&#8217;s coming along well,\u201d he said. \u201cWe&#8217;re kind of in the final steps of welding together our chassis. Suspension is finally getting finalized, so we can start making the suspension and figuring out where it goes on the car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-516B1F33-1D46-4F76-9F3F-BFB2792965FE-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-937\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7499961852445258;width:275px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-516B1F33-1D46-4F76-9F3F-BFB2792965FE-768x1023.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-516B1F33-1D46-4F76-9F3F-BFB2792965FE-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-516B1F33-1D46-4F76-9F3F-BFB2792965FE-1153x1536.jpeg 1153w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-516B1F33-1D46-4F76-9F3F-BFB2792965FE-1537x2048.jpeg 1537w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-516B1F33-1D46-4F76-9F3F-BFB2792965FE.jpeg 1816w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Sparks fly as a team member welds sections of the frame together.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As the chassis lead, Roessler is responsible for ensuring the chassis meets the standards required for the vehicle to handle the rough terrain it will encounter in competition. If one thing went wrong with the chassis, it could derail the entire build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that in mind, Roessler said he understands the important responsibility placed upon him and is confident that the chassis will be able to handle whatever is thrown its way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDriver safety is the most important thing to us, 100%,\u201d he said. \u201cAs I&#8217;m getting there, and as I&#8217;m designing the chassis, that&#8217;s the main thought. We really can&#8217;t chance having something break, and so structural integrity is definitely the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roessler mentioned that throughout the semester, one particular challenge with the chassis has been making it entirely in-house. The team has primarily focused on not outsourcing any development and on making the vehicle entirely student-built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere&#8217;s a learning curve to kind of bending our own tubes, and there&#8217;s been a lot of mistakes actually putting the chassis together, but we&#8217;ve kind of got it figured out and on a roll,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-0FB55363-A688-4954-99D3-224AFB419D47-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-936\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7499961852445258;width:298px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-0FB55363-A688-4954-99D3-224AFB419D47-768x1023.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-0FB55363-A688-4954-99D3-224AFB419D47-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-0FB55363-A688-4954-99D3-224AFB419D47-1153x1536.jpeg 1153w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-0FB55363-A688-4954-99D3-224AFB419D47-1537x2048.jpeg 1537w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-0FB55363-A688-4954-99D3-224AFB419D47.jpeg 1816w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Components are arranged on a work surface prior to assembly.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>When Clemson Baja last spoke with the RHBSSI, the team focused on a brand-new test track under construction for them to test their newest build right here in Clemson. Roessler says the track will help the team ensure all the pieces are in place for the build to hold together before they compete in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;ll probably be one of the most beneficial things that has happened for Baja in a long time, he said. \u201cWe&#8217;ll be able to actually test our vehicle, and that way, if anything fails, hopefully it fails with the shop five minutes away, and not in Rochester, New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the build nears completion, the team has its sights set on June 11 for its first competition in Rochester with the new vehicle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nathan Inman As the semester is entering the home stretch, so too is the newest vehicle build for Clemson Baja SAE. After months of designing, the vehicle is now in its final stages of the build phase as the team prepares to compete in a competition in New York this June. The RHBSSI sat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3675,"featured_media":938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63178,181],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63150],"class_list":["post-935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-motorsports","category-students"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/processed-AB0B9269-E6DF-48B6-9A39-C1E62D1E8DA9-150x150.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":924,"date":"2026-03-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=924"},"modified":"2026-03-25T14:23:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T14:23:33","slug":"athletic-trainer-month-behind-the-scenes-of-clemson-track-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/03\/25\/athletic-trainer-month-behind-the-scenes-of-clemson-track-field\/","title":{"rendered":"Athletic Trainer Month: Behind the scenes of Clemson Athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/ATMONTH-FEATUREIMG-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-933\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/ATMONTH-FEATUREIMG-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/ATMONTH-FEATUREIMG-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/ATMONTH-FEATUREIMG-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/ATMONTH-FEATUREIMG-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/ATMONTH-FEATUREIMG.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-container-content-5f80b302\">This semester, RHBSSI is working with two track-and-field student-athlete interns through the UPIC Beyond the Game program. In recognition of National Athletic Trainer Month, we&#8217;re highlighting the people who support them behind the scenes. We spoke with their athletic trainers about what it&#8217;s like to keep athletes healthy and performing throughout the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#abb7c238\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized wp-container-content-69bc4bdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"313\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/athletictrainer-edited-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-927\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6660054322946867;width:387px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/athletictrainer-edited-1.jpg 313w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/athletictrainer-edited-1-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 313px) 100vw, 313px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Assistant Athletic Trainer; Men&#8217;s and Women&#8217;s Cross Country\/Track and Field<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Dayshia Davenport<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-1&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading has-medium-font-size\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-1-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-1\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\"><em><strong>Track and field includes many different types of athletes, from sprinters to distance runners to throwers. How do the injuries and recovery strategies differ across these events, and how do you adapt your approach for each athlete?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-1\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-1-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A great place to start is the recovery triangle, which includes proper hydration, adequate sleep, and good nutrition. That said, each event requires different forces on the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-container-content-e29552f7\">Some coaches may already have their plan made and want to see what I can help with in order to make sure they can get through the training week. For example, throwers who may have a heavy-lifting day and a throwing session may need more mobility and soft-tissue work to combat soreness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In certain cases, I discuss with the event coach at the beginning of the season, as well as throughout the season, what they would like to accomplish and what each training week looks like, so we can plan recovery and anticipate aches and pains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I try to listen to what the athlete says their body feels like and give recommendations based on what I know is to come in the training week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I try to listen to what the athlete says their body feels like and give recommendations based on what I know is to come in the training week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-2&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading has-medium-font-size\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-2-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-2\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\"><strong><em>Many track athletes compete for a long season with multiple meets and intense training. How do you help athletes manage their training load and recovery to stay healthy and perform at their best?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-2\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-2-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Collaborating with the coach and with support staff (strength and conditioning coaches, mental health\/performance, chiropractors, massage therapists, nutritionists, etc.) is huge for this. My job is to bridge the middle between all entities of sports while also taking care of the physical needs in and out of season.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If I notice someone may not be recovering or is having a hard time with general aches and pains, I will discuss this with all parties to help set them up for success before the next competition. That can look like changing training surfaces, adjusting weight-training sessions throughout the week, encouraging certain meals after speed vs. endurance training, or encouraging the athlete to focus on mental recovery by doing something non-sports-related. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are just some examples, but every athlete is different and requires conversations to make sure their physical and mental needs are met for the longevity of the season.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-3&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading has-medium-font-size\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-3-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-3\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\"><em><strong>When an athlete gets injured during the season, what does the return-to-play process look like, and how do you ensure they are physically and mentally ready to compete again?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-3\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-3-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Each injury is different, so the return-to-play process can involve many variables. My biggest focus is to keep the athlete mentally locked in to getting back. I can manage the physical for the most part, but mental prep is huge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I try to challenge my athletes each week to complete a movement they haven\u2019t done before. This helps them feel encouraged that they are progressing despite not physically receiving imaging to monitor their progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it\u2019s a minor injury, I typically lay out a calendar and set goals for what I need to see from them to progress to the next step. I also sit with the event coach to discuss when I think they will be back and what parameters need to be met in order to return to group training. I tend to be more aggressive with in-season injuries given the timeline, so I may see that athlete multiple times a day, even on the weekend. If it\u2019s a major injury that may affect the season, I do the same thing, but I may encourage the athlete to connect with mental health or sports performance so they don\u2019t lose that sense of identity while away from sport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My personality can be very sarcastic and joking, but I also try to give them the empathy they may not be giving themselves through private check-ins, if needed. Each athlete is different, which is why it\u2019s important to build a relationship with them to know how to approach in-season injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#abb7c238\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Donna Bullock<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;autoclose&quot;: false, &quot;accordionItems&quot;: [] }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/accordion\" role=\"group\" class=\"wp-block-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-4&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading has-medium-font-size\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-4-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-4\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\"><em><strong>From your experience working with athletes, what is the most difficult phase of the rehab process that fans and spectators usually never see?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-4\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-4-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The emotional struggle that student-athletes go through while not participating in their sport.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-5&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading has-medium-font-size\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-5-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-5\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\"><strong><em>When an athlete is nearing return to play, what signs tell you they are mentally and emotionally ready, not just physically cleared?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-5\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-5-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>When they don\u2019t hesitate, mentally, emotionally and physically when you incorporate in their rehabilitation, the movement they did when they got hurt.&nbsp;All 3 won\u2019t happen at once so it\u2019s patience and repetition and confidence building.&nbsp;Also, when they are smiling while participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-class--is-open=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;id&quot;: &quot;accordion-item-6&quot;, &quot;openByDefault&quot;: false }\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initAccordionItems\" data-wp-on-window--hashchange=\"callbacks.hashChange\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-item is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-item-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading has-medium-font-size\"><button aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-item-6-panel\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-6\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\"><strong><em>What is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about the recovery process after an injury, especially at the collegiate level?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-6\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-6-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>That student-athletes can easily recover and it doesn\u2019t affect the other parts of their lives \u2013 socially, academically, relationships, religious&nbsp; &#8211; all parts of their lives<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"746\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/100-O-BullockDonna.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-930\" style=\"width:373px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/100-O-BullockDonna.webp 746w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/100-O-BullockDonna-249x300.webp 249w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Associate Athletic Trainer<br><br><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This semester, RHBSSI is working with two track-and-field student-athlete interns through the Beyond the Game program. In recognition of National Athletic Trainer Month, we&#8217;re highlighting the people who support them behind the scenes. We spoke with their athletic trainer about what it&#8217;s like to keep track and field athletes healthy and performing throughout the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3675,"featured_media":927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63180],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63150],"class_list":["post-924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-clemson-athletics"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/athletictrainer-edited-1-150x150.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=924"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":912,"date":"2026-03-08T21:44:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T21:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=912"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:55:19","slug":"we-were-all-flabbergasted-clemson-tiger-racing-members-reflect-on-first-ever-race-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/03\/08\/we-were-all-flabbergasted-clemson-tiger-racing-members-reflect-on-first-ever-race-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe were all flabbergasted\u201d: Clemson Tiger Racing members reflect on first-ever race weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/image-20260301-223017-68b90c2e-1-2-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"CTR team members with Clemson alumnus Dr. Shannon Kennedy\" class=\"wp-image-913\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:455px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/image-20260301-223017-68b90c2e-1-2-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/image-20260301-223017-68b90c2e-1-2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/image-20260301-223017-68b90c2e-1-2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/image-20260301-223017-68b90c2e-1-2-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/image-20260301-223017-68b90c2e-1-2-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>CTR team members with Clemson alumnus Dr. Shannon Kennedy<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>By Nathan Inman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>February 28 was a day that was nearly three years in the making for Clemson Tiger Racing. After being established in 2023, CTR finally ran its first-ever endurance race late last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It could have been easy for the team to take it easy and just log laps to gain experience, leaving car number 223 to be an afterthought to its competitors. Instead, though, everyone knew they were there. The team finished fourth in the Saturday race after a solid showing throughout the day, leaving CTR with a shot at a podium finish. Unfortunately, the team was unable to cross the finish line, as the car ran out of gas and slowed to a stop out of the final corner.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1036-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Hadley Smith on the team radio as race engineer.\" class=\"wp-image-914\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:409px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1036-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1036-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1036-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1036-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1036-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Hadley Smith on the team radio as race engineer.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>While the race finished in heartbreaking fashion, the result was still one the team could be proud of.<br>\u201cI think we were all flabbergasted that we made it through,\u201d said Hadley Smith, a sophomore engineering major and race engineer for CTR. \u201cWe were so incredibly excited and proud of ourselves that we made it through the first day.\u201d The pride Smith mentioned was echoed by several of her fellow team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to put this feeling into words,\u201d said Macy Jersek, graduate student and operations lead for CTR. \u201cI\u2019m just so happy and really proud of this team. I think we all were just thrilled to see the car finish, and to be so successful and to be competitive with our little Miata with 80 horsepower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1025-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Kieran Rogers prepares to enter the car for the final stint of Saturday's race.\n\" class=\"wp-image-915\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:402px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1025-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1025-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1025-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1025-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1025-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Kieran Rogers prepares to enter the car for the final stint of Saturday&#8217;s race.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m also very proud of everyone,\u201d added Kieran Rogers, junior automotive engineering student who is the race engineer lead and a driver for CTR. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work that went into it, so it\u2019s very rewarding when you see we\u2019re able to go on for as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Saturday drew to a close, the focus shifted to Sunday, when the team would hit the track once more for the second race of the weekend. After the learning experience of their first race, the team was hopeful they could compete for a podium position once again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only did CTR compete for a podium in Sunday\u2019s race, and the team also led at the break after the first hour and held the lead for several hours afterwards. It appeared that CTR was going to have a shot at winning a race in its first-ever race weekend. Unfortunately, with roughly 90 minutes remaining, the car suffered a failure in the rear differential. With so little time remaining and the car extremely hot, CTR was unable to make repairs and was forced to retire from the race.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1146-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"CTR leaves the pit lane following the final pit stop on Saturday.\n\" class=\"wp-image-916\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:399px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1146-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1146-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1146-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1146-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/IMG_1146-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>CTR leaves the pit lane following the final pit stop on Saturday.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>While the end result was not what the team had hoped for, the team members had every reason to hold their heads high and mark the weekend as a success. A car fully engineered, maintained and driven by college students lasted an impressive 341 laps and nearly 13 hours throughout the two races, leaving the expectations heading into the weekend in the dust. Even more impressive was that the parts built and installed by the team stayed in shape, and the only thing that prevented the team from completing all 14 hours and potentially earning a race win or podium was one that was never touched by the students besides fluid changes, serving as a testament to the work of the mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think it just really shows how hard every single one of the mechanics has been working,\u201d said Matthew Flaim, an automotive engineering graduate student, as well as driver and lead mechanic for CTR. \u201cJust the effort that has been going in to make sure that we\u2019re making, not only a consistent and competitive race car, but also a safe race car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With CTR\u2019s first race finally in the books, the team is now looking ahead to more races and hopes to be back on track in May at Atlanta Motorsports Park. With the experience of the first race weekend and the knowledge gained from it, the sky is now the limit for the team\u2019s future success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nathan Inman February 28 was a day that was nearly three years in the making for Clemson Tiger Racing. After being established in 2023, CTR finally ran its first-ever endurance race late last month. It could have been easy for the team to take it easy and just log laps to gain experience, leaving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4233,"featured_media":913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63178,6820,181],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63151],"class_list":["post-912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-motorsports","category-programs-events","category-students"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/image-20260301-223017-68b90c2e-1-2-150x150.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=912"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":901,"date":"2026-03-05T14:48:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=901"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:55:14","slug":"clemson-athletic-council-bridges-gap-between-academics-and-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/03\/05\/clemson-athletic-council-bridges-gap-between-academics-and-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Clemson Athletic Council bridges gap between academics and athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Griffin Barfield<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a university that prides itself on athletics and academics, there\u2019s a group within that helps student-athletes find success on the field and in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/administration\/councils\/athletic-council\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Clemson Athletic Council<\/a> acts as the liaison between the University\u2019s faculty, administration and athletic departments, meeting bi-monthly to discuss important topics that student-athletes face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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&nbsp;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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"342\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/jake.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-908\" style=\"width:247px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/jake.jpg 342w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/jake-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 342px) 100vw, 342px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Jake Serra runs at a Clemson Track meet<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was thinking, how can I make an impact in another way?\u201d Serra said. \u201cSo, that&#8217;s where the Student Athlete Advisory Committee comes in. We have one here at Clemson that, unbiased, is the best one in the nation.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s SAAC when she was a student-athlete as an undergraduate, going full circle when she was voted on last spring to represent the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/cbshs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences<\/a> as a faculty liaison.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"399\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/kishi.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-910\" style=\"width:213px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/kishi.png 399w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/kishi-234x300.png 234w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Rikishi Smith-Rey, Department of Communication<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe get to bridge the two of them,\u201d Smith-Rey said. \u201cWe get to bridge the academic institutional side to the athletic side, and SAAC is in there as well, and they\u2019re telling us how they are getting the teams more intertwined. It\u2019s great seeing all the different groups coming together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another faculty fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute and a professor of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences within the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/cafls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences<\/a>, 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Committee Structure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 &#8211; Athlete Services and Performance, are invited to speak at Athletic Council meetings to enhance members\u2019 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s been more of an emphasis by all AC members on Student Athlete Welfare and Experience, which Batt chairs and says is the \u201cmain heartbeat\u201d of the council.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/raymond.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-909\" style=\"width:247px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/raymond.jpg 512w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/raymond-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Mary Anne Raymond<\/em>, <em>Thomas F. Chapman Distinguished Professor of Leadership, Department of Marketing<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;re focusing on the well-being of the student-athletes,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that will stay for a while because there&#8217;s been so much going on with student well-being and the population&#8217;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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey allow looking behind the curtain in athletics, but we are fully academics, so we understand that world,\u201d Batt said, \u201cso we can be liaisons for them.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drs. Batt and Smith-Rey are also faculty fellows with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/centers-institutes\/brooks-sports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute<\/a>, and communicate these important athletic topics back to their research and educational peers at the university and nationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Serra and Imbesi also work towards bringing each athletic program together, allowing more communication and community between each group of student-athletes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy goal is really just to increase that feeling of community within athletics so you&#8217;re not just supporting your own team and seeing your own team every day,\u201d Imbesi said, \u201cto really bring that community together so that we are all one group of Clemson Athletics, not just separate teams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Issues and Outcomes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s meetings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat was something where we went to these professors in the Athletic Council,\u201d Serra said. \u201cI said, \u2018Hey, here&#8217;s my idea. What can we take from this?\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"341\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/greg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-911\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6660301699446248;width:216px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/greg.jpg 341w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/greg-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Greg Batt, Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith my involvement on the Athletic Council, it gave me a real grassroots perspective of the challenges of being a student-athlete,\u201d Batt said, \u201cand 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s been really useful,\u201d Imbesi said. \u201cI think to have that communication between teachers and athletics administration, just so they know and are kind of in the loop of what&#8217;s actually happening and what&#8217;s actually going on, because there&#8217;s so much happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Serra believes that the best is yet to come with SAAC and the Council as a whole.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re just such a passionate group that is really willing to pioneer this new change,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of this stuff that we have in mind is not out yet. It&#8217;s not, we&#8217;ll see how it goes. It&#8217;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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Griffin Barfield At a university that prides itself on athletics and academics, there\u2019s 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\u2019s faculty, administration and athletic departments, meeting bi-monthly to discuss important topics that student-athletes face. Meetings [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3675,"featured_media":907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,445],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63150],"class_list":["post-901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-faculty"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/clemson-150x150.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":902,"date":"2026-03-01T16:29:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T16:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=902"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:54:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:54:34","slug":"clemson-formula-sae-gearing-up-for-annual-spring-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/03\/01\/clemson-formula-sae-gearing-up-for-annual-spring-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Clemson Formula SAE gearing up for annual spring competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Nathan Inman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Team-Photo-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Clemson FSAE members with Tiger 25 at the 2025 competition in Michigan.\" class=\"wp-image-903\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:481px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Team-Photo-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Team-Photo-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Team-Photo-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Team-Photo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Team-Photo-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Clemson FSAE members with Tiger 25 at the 2025 competition in Michigan.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Clemson Formula SAE has been engineering its 2026 race car, Tiger 26, over the last several months, and the finishing touches are nearing completion. Tiger 26 will make its debut when the team hits the track at Michigan International Speedway on May 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Launched in 1998, Clemson FSAE is a student-run race team partnered with the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. The organization provides students with real-life experience that cannot be replicated in the classroom, with opportunities in areas such as aerodynamics, business, chassis, electrical, powertrain and suspension. The event in May is part of the international FSAE series, which is hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The series serves as a way for students to see their hard work come to life and compete with other students from around the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the annual event hosting thousands of students interested in engineering and motorsports, representatives from those industries attend the event to network with students and see what they are capable of firsthand. Peter Gaspich, suspension lead for Clemson FSAE, says that members of the organization have been able to gather connections at these events that later boosted them into roles with professional racing teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of our alumni is a performance engineer at [General Motors\u2019] IndyCar program,\u201d Kelly said. &#8220;We had a simulation performance engineer at Red Bull F1, and another simulation performance engineer at Alpine F1.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Members-Working-on-Frame-of-New-Car-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Clemson FSAE team members working on the frame of Tiger 26.\" class=\"wp-image-904\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:446px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Members-Working-on-Frame-of-New-Car-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Members-Working-on-Frame-of-New-Car-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Members-Working-on-Frame-of-New-Car-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Members-Working-on-Frame-of-New-Car-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Members-Working-on-Frame-of-New-Car-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Clemson FSAE team members working on the frame of Tiger 26.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>With the opportunity to meet with industry professionals at these events, the work back at the shop in Clemson becomes even more important. When the team hits the track in Michigan, they will be facing a large variety of tests, such as skid pad, acceleration, autocross and endurance. During the several months spent engineering and building the car, the team must find the happy medium of all four of those areas to ensure their ability to be competitive throughout the entire event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gaspich explained that in the skid pad test, the car must complete two figure 8s of constant radius, which evaluates the \u201csteady-state cornering ability,\u201d which is essentially testing how much grip the car is able to make in a low-speed corner. It also evaluates the team\u2019s ability to set up the car and make the best use of the tires. The acceleration competition is more self-explanatory. The acceleration test is practically a short drag race to evaluate how the car can accelerate from being stopped. Gaspich added that on a good day, their car goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 3.5 seconds and has even gotten down to around 3.3 seconds at times.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, the event transitions into the autocross competition. In this event, a half-mile course is set up, and the team gets two chances with two different drivers to complete one lap and set the fastest time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAutocross courses, especially at Michigan, are insanely difficult,\u201d Gaspich said. &#8220;There are even some teams out there that\u2019ll even have a professional driver, because as long as they are a student currently enrolled at your university, they are allowed to drive the car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-On-Track-1-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Clemson FSAE on track in the 2025 event at Michigan International Speedway.\n\" class=\"wp-image-905\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:452px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-On-Track-1-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-On-Track-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-On-Track-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-On-Track-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-On-Track-1-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Clemson FSAE on track in the 2025 event at Michigan International Speedway.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Once the autocross event is complete, the competition transitions into the final event: endurance. The endurance event is the largest test of how well the car was built and engineered. The event is 30 straight minutes of racing, and while that doesn\u2019t sound like much, Gaspich emphasized that at the end of the day, these cars are still completely student-built and aren\u2019t professional-grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The event has been a tough one for Clemson SAE in recent years, as the team has not finished the full 30 minutes since 2022. Even then, though, the car overheated and severely reduced the top speed. The team came close to finally getting the monkey off its back in last year\u2019s event, but fate had other plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe had a pretty heartbreaking finish to endurance last year,\u201d Gaspich said. &#8220;We were doing really good in all of our events, looking to finish at least top 20. We came in after our first stint of endurance to do the driver change, and suddenly we hear over the radio, \u2018guys, we\u2019re disqualified.\u2019\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As it turns out, the car had been leaking just a few drops of oil, and the rules for the event specify that the cars cannot leak any fluid whatsoever. As a result, the team was told their day was done, and the chance to finally finish the endurance event had been snatched away from them once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Clemson FSAE completes its Tiger 26 build, the team is optimistic about their chances to run well in and complete all the events in May. When that time comes, they are ready for the challenges and look forward to getting back on track. Students interested in joining Clemson FSAE can find them on <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/cufsae\">TigerQuest<\/a> or visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemsonfsae.com\/join-the-team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.clemsonfsae.com\/join-the-team<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nathan Inman Clemson Formula SAE has been engineering its 2026 race car, Tiger 26, over the last several months, and the finishing touches are nearing completion. Tiger 26 will make its debut when the team hits the track at Michigan International Speedway on May 13. Launched in 1998, Clemson FSAE is a student-run race [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4233,"featured_media":903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63178,6820,181],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63151],"class_list":["post-902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-motorsports","category-programs-events","category-students"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/03\/FSAE-Team-Photo-150x150.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":894,"date":"2026-02-22T18:26:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T18:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=894"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:54:08","slug":"clemson-baja-sae-partnering-with-construction-science-and-management-department-to-construct-new-test-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/02\/22\/clemson-baja-sae-partnering-with-construction-science-and-management-department-to-construct-new-test-track\/","title":{"rendered":"Clemson Baja SAE partnering with Construction Science and Management department to construct new test track"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Nathan Inman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/1-20bb79a7-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Clemson Baja SAE team picture at competition\" class=\"wp-image-897\" style=\"width:457px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/1-20bb79a7-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/1-20bb79a7-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/1-20bb79a7-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/1-20bb79a7.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Clemson Baja SAE team picture at competition<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As the semester progresses for Clemson Baja SAE, the team is working towards building its newest vehicle for competition later this year. However, the new vehicle is not the only thing the organization is constructing this semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clemson Baja SAE was founded in 1978 and is a student-run engineering organization that designs and builds custom off-road vehicles to compete in the national Baja SAE Collegiate Design Series. The organization had become dormant following the COVID-19 pandemic, but a group of eight dedicated students were determined to bring the organization back to life in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMGL0828-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Clemson Baja SAE racing on dirt track\" class=\"wp-image-899\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:458px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMGL0828-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMGL0828-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMGL0828-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMGL0828-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMGL0828-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Clemson Baja SAE racing on dirt track<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Since its revival, Baja has utilized a test track in the woods behind their race shop to ensure their student-built vehicles were primed and ready to compete. Recently, though, the track was cleared and logged, completely destroying the course and making it unusable for the race team. The occurrence left Baja without a way to test their vehicles, meaning they would be unable to be sure that there were no mechanical or safety defects before traveling for competitions. That\u2019s when Blanchard CAT and the Department of Construction Science and Management stepped in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis semester, we are partnering with the Construction Science department,\u201d Tyler Odgers, president of Baja SAE, said in an interview. \u201cRight now, they have drone scanned the entire block and they\u2019re designing a track on their computers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Odgers added that Blanchard CAT has donated equipment for the construction of the track, something that would have been unfeasible for the team to afford. Just as it does for many professional race teams, funding for Clemson Baja often comes at a premium. With the need for funding, the organization cannot focus solely on engineering and manufacturing their vehicles. Odgers says that the team has begun developing a large business team in order to afford those aforementioned costs.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/Team-photo-minus-Charlie-1-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Team picture with Clemson Baja SAE car\" class=\"wp-image-900\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5014984159602707;width:447px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/Team-photo-minus-Charlie-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/Team-photo-minus-Charlie-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/Team-photo-minus-Charlie-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/Team-photo-minus-Charlie-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/Team-photo-minus-Charlie-1-2048x1364.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Team picture with Clemson Baja SAE car<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cObviously, we need funding, right?\u201d Odgers said. \u201cWe have a team that is essentially putting together a packet presentation that we can just go out and give to businesses. There\u2019s a very big communications, marketing type of thing trying to get our name out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Odgers went on to say that he sees opportunities for practically any major, and that \u201cthere are very few majors that I think can\u2019t do something with us.\u201d As the team continues to prepare for competition and the construction of its new race vehicle and test track, emphasis will still remain on the business and communications side of the organization. Any students interested in joining Clemson Baja SAE can find them on <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/bajasae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TigerQuest<\/a> or go to <a href=\"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/bajasae\/join\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/bajasae\/join\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nathan Inman As the semester progresses for Clemson Baja SAE, the team is working towards building its newest vehicle for competition later this year. However, the new vehicle is not the only thing the organization is constructing this semester. Clemson Baja SAE was founded in 1978 and is a student-run engineering organization that designs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3675,"featured_media":899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63178,181],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63150],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-motorsports","category-students"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMGL0828-150x150.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=894"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":870,"date":"2026-02-12T23:19:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T23:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=870"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:53:54","slug":"former-clemson-tiger-begins-nascar-season-in-pursuit-of-third-daytona-500-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/02\/12\/former-clemson-tiger-begins-nascar-season-in-pursuit-of-third-daytona-500-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Clemson Tiger begins NASCAR season in pursuit of third Daytona 500 victory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Nathan Inman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off in Daytona this past weekend, with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 taking place on Sunday. Among the field of 41 teams was one former Clemson Tiger pursuing a third consecutive Daytona 500 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_7555-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"Landon Walker posing next to the Daytona 500 Harley J. Earle trophy\" class=\"wp-image-872\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7500079181579198;width:371px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_7555-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_7555-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_7555-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_7555-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_7555-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Landon Walker posing next to the Daytona 500 Harley J. Earle trophy<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Landon Walker was an offensive tackle for the Tigers from 2008 until 2011 and was part of the 2010 squad that secured Dabo Swinney\u2019s first ACC championship. Throughout his career, Walker played a total of 3,131 snaps, a record at the time, and now sits fifth on the all-time list of Clemson players.\u00a0Throughout his life, Walker bled Clemson orange, as his father, Gary, was a former Clemson Tiger and part of the 1981 team that won Clemson its first National Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Walker graduated from Clemson in 2012, he had his sights set on the National Football League and intended to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. However, a failed physical, uncovering arthritis in his knee, brought his plans to a screeching halt. Walker eventually realized his days of playing football were behind him, but still, he refused to confine himself to a typical desk job. That\u2019s when he received a phone call from Hendrick Motorsports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hendrick Motorsports is NASCAR\u2019s most successful race team, with 320 race wins and 15 championships. Walker wasn\u2019t being called to drive a race car \u2013 he was being asked to join the pit crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a 2023 interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/thetigercu.com\/18487\/sports\/clemson-tiger-pit-crew-wins-daytona-500-william-byron\/\">The Tiger<\/a>, Walker said that he was unsure of what to expect when he showed up to the team\u2019s campus in Concord, North Carolina.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI really had kind of a very mild understanding of what it would be and kind of got into it with the right people at the right time,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walker learned quickly that the training and preparation for pit crew members was not much different than what he had done his whole life while playing football. As he began his tryouts, he was fully prepared for the tests they threw his way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey were doing combines, which you do in football, and testing your running skills and your power skills. Really just an overall test to see how athletic you were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/SRK2gBXT39VLBsHnDnY3yfqXIGwceQtgTSFPaPua-1200x800-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Landon Walker and the pit crew celebrating William Byron's Daytona 500 win\" class=\"wp-image-873\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:433px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/SRK2gBXT39VLBsHnDnY3yfqXIGwceQtgTSFPaPua-1200x800-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/SRK2gBXT39VLBsHnDnY3yfqXIGwceQtgTSFPaPua-1200x800-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/SRK2gBXT39VLBsHnDnY3yfqXIGwceQtgTSFPaPua-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/SRK2gBXT39VLBsHnDnY3yfqXIGwceQtgTSFPaPua-1200x800-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Landon Walker and the pit crew celebrating William Byron&#8217;s Daytona 500 win<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>After Walker completed his tryouts, the team decided they liked what they were seeing and offered him a spot on the pit crew as a fueler. He accepted the offer and joined the team in September 2012, and he has been there ever since. Walker has achieved several feats during his 13 years with Hendrick Motorsports. For many years, though, there was one that seemed to slip away from him time and time again: The Daytona 500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That changed in 2023, when his driver, William Byron, won that year\u2019s running of The Great American Race. A year later, Byron would win the race once again, becoming just the fifth to win the race in back-to-back years.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_0487-1200x800-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Landon Walker and William Byron embracing after a Daytona 500 win\" class=\"wp-image-874\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:383px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_0487-1200x800-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_0487-1200x800-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_0487-1200x800-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_0487-1200x800-2.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Landon Walker and William Byron embracing after a Daytona 500 win<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a big win that everybody wants, to put that ring on your finger,\u201d Walker said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most coveted wins in our sport, kind of our Super Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No driver has ever won the race in three consecutive years. Alas, that record still holds after this past weekend, as Byron was unable to defend his crown once more.\u00a0Still, after over a decade in the sport without a win in the sport\u2019s most coveted race, Walker cherishes the opportunity to have been part of the race-winning team twice over.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As NASCAR revs into high gear and kicks off the 2026 season, Walker hopes to check one last box on his bucket list: becoming a NASCAR champion. There might be nine months until then, but come this November, it\u2019s entirely possible this former Tiger might achieve just that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nathan Inman The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off in Daytona this past weekend, with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 taking place on Sunday. Among the field of 41 teams was one former Clemson Tiger pursuing a third consecutive Daytona 500 victory. Landon Walker was an offensive tackle for the Tigers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4233,"featured_media":873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63153,63178],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63151],"class_list":["post-870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-clemson-alumni","category-motorsports"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/SRK2gBXT39VLBsHnDnY3yfqXIGwceQtgTSFPaPua-1200x800-1-150x150.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":822,"date":"2026-02-03T19:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=822"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:53:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:53:36","slug":"national-girls-women-in-sports-day-spotlighting-women-across-clemson-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/02\/03\/national-girls-women-in-sports-day-spotlighting-women-across-clemson-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"National Girls &amp; Women in Sports Day: Spotlighting women across Clemson Athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/NWSD.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/NWSD.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/NWSD-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/NWSD-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/NWSD-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/NWSD-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In celebration of National Girls &amp; Women in Sports Day on February 4, the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute highlights seven female student-athletes. Representing a variety of sports, these athletes share their experiences as women in sport, reflect on the role of sports science in their development, and offer advice to the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Sade Gray<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>Track and Field<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_1510-edited-683x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-825\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6670106284181199;object-fit:cover;width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_1510-edited-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_1510-edited-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_1510-edited-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_1510-edited-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_1510-edited-1366x2048.jpeg 1366w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_1510-edited-scaled.jpeg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Major:<\/strong> Marketing <br><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Baton Rouge, Louisiana<br><br><strong>What does it mean to be a woman in sports?<br><\/strong>To me, being a woman in sports means being strong, resilient, and unstoppable. It gives women the opportunity to chase goals at a high level, earn respect through work ethic, and open doors for younger girls watching. I want them to be able to think,&nbsp;<em>\u201cIf she can do it, maybe I can too.\u201d<\/em><br><br><strong>What aspect of sports science have you found most interesting or impactful in your athletic experience? <\/strong><br>The most impactful aspect for me has been recovery and nutrition. You can train hard every day, but recovery can truly make or break performance. Getting the right nutrients to heal injuries and build power and strength has helped me put my best foot forward consistently.<br><br><strong>What is your advice for aspiring women in sports?<\/strong><br>Believe in yourself before anyone else does. People will try to tell you who you are or limit your future, but it\u2019s your life and your passion. Don\u2019t give up on yourself\u2014work hard, stay focused, and go where you are appreciated.<br><br><strong>What has been your favorite or most interesting class taken at Clemson?<br><\/strong>One of my favorite classes has been Women\u2019s Global Perspectives. Learning about the challenges women face around the world\u2014especially those who don\u2019t even have the freedom of choice\u2014has inspired me to fully embrace the woman I\u2019m becoming. It motivates me to pursue my dreams boldly and never let anyone take my voice.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Bianca Martinez<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>Volleyball and Track<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1149\" height=\"1532\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-53D1554B-6461-419D-8C55-AB8434307F42-edited.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-845\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6670106284181199;object-fit:cover;width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-53D1554B-6461-419D-8C55-AB8434307F42-edited.jpeg 1149w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-53D1554B-6461-419D-8C55-AB8434307F42-edited-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-53D1554B-6461-419D-8C55-AB8434307F42-edited-768x1024.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Major:<\/strong> Sociology <br><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Omaha, Nebraska<br><br><strong>What does it mean to be a woman in sports?<br><\/strong>For me, being a woman in sports is all about representation and feeling confident in myself. Being able to be a role model for younger female athletes and someone they can look up to and see someone living out a reality that they are dreaming about. It also means a place where I have found my confidence, and somewhere I have strived to be the best I could be, and always working towards a goal, but while still knowing who I am and my reasons for playing. <br><br><strong>What aspect of sports science have you found most interesting or impactful in your athletic experience? <br><\/strong>Definitely has been recovery, and what specific things my body needs to be able to fully recover for another whole day of practice. I feel like being at Clemson, specifically the access we have to recovery, is absolutely amazing, and we are truly blessed here. I have learned so much about what exactly works best for me to feel my best, especially on game and competition days. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-C1CCBC35-1728-42E2-ACF3-8777E9E7875E-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-844\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4997656616153725;width:352px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-C1CCBC35-1728-42E2-ACF3-8777E9E7875E-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-C1CCBC35-1728-42E2-ACF3-8777E9E7875E-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-C1CCBC35-1728-42E2-ACF3-8777E9E7875E-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-C1CCBC35-1728-42E2-ACF3-8777E9E7875E-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-C1CCBC35-1728-42E2-ACF3-8777E9E7875E-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/processed-C1CCBC35-1728-42E2-ACF3-8777E9E7875E-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>What is your advice for aspiring women in sports?<br><\/strong>My advice for aspiring women in sports is to always give yourself grace and be kind to yourself. There will be really good days and hard days, and both are part of the journey. It&#8217;s so important not to beat yourself up on the days when things don&#8217;t go as planned. Positive self-talk matters more than you realize, because the way you speak to yourself can either build your confidence or tear it down. Learning to encourage yourself the same way you would a teammate can make all the difference. <br><br><strong>What has been your favorite or most interesting class taken at Clemson?<br><\/strong>My favorite class I&#8217;ve taken at Clemson so far is my Civil Rights History course, which I am currently enrolled in. As a Global Black Studies student, I understand how important Black history is and how critical it is that it continues to be taught accurately and intentionally. This class has helped me deepen that understanding by connecting historical movements to ongoing struggles for justice today. Professor D&#8217;Ondre Juwan Swails is also one of my favorite professors and makes the material engaging and meaningful, which makes the class genuinely exciting to be a part of. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Madison Roush<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>Cross Country and Track<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/A0411F86-3702-42FB-A266-608A3BAA2C50_1_105_c-683x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-834\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6670106284181199;object-fit:cover;width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/A0411F86-3702-42FB-A266-608A3BAA2C50_1_105_c-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/A0411F86-3702-42FB-A266-608A3BAA2C50_1_105_c-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/A0411F86-3702-42FB-A266-608A3BAA2C50_1_105_c.jpeg 724w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Major:<\/strong> Biomedical Engineering <br><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Greer, South Carolina<br><br><strong>What does it mean to be a woman in sports?<br><\/strong>Being a woman in sports means having a big community of strong and inspirational women to look up to. We are all there to support one another and celebrate our accomplishments.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>What aspect of sports science have you found most interesting or impactful in your athletic experience? <\/strong><br>I\u2019ve found that the recovery aspect of running is the most interesting to me because it\u2019s where I\u2019ve seen the greatest success in the sport. Learning about the different ways to help muscles recover from training is fascinating, and the way my body feels after adequate recovery is night and day compared to running while not fully recovered.<br><br><strong>What is your advice for aspiring women in sports?<\/strong><br>My biggest piece of advice is to say yes to opportunities that come your way and not be afraid to speak up and advocate for yourself. More often than not, people miss out on opportunities simply because they don\u2019t put themselves out there or use their voice. By saying yes and asking to be involved in organizations that support women, I\u2019ve been able to meet so many amazing and inspiring women from around the world.<br><br><strong>What has been your favorite or most interesting class taken at Clemson?<br><\/strong>My favorite class I\u2019ve taken at Clemson is Sports Engineering. In this course, I learned so much about the body and how it functions during training and recovery, which helped me better understand my own body and improve as a runner. It\u2019s especially rewarding to learn material that you can directly apply to yourself, and that genuinely interests you. Dr. Harvey is also a great professor who teaches the class in an engaging way that keeps it interesting.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Tatum Short<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>Women&#8217;s Soccer<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_5212-2-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-823\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6670106284181199;object-fit:cover;width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_5212-2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_5212-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_5212-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_5212-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_5212-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_5212-2-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Major:<\/strong> Psychology<br><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Las Vegas, Nevada<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What does it mean to be a woman in sports?<br><\/strong>Being a woman in sports means showing up with strength, discipline, and confidence in spaces that haven\u2019t always made room for us. It&#8217;s about resilience and showing younger girls that this path is possible and worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What aspect of sports science have you found most interesting or impactful in your athletic experience? <\/strong><br>Nutrition has been the most impactful area of sports science for me because it has a direct impact on my energy, recovery, and performance on the field. Learning how to correctly fuel my body allows me to train harder, recover faster, and maintain consistency throughout the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is your advice for aspiring women in sports?<\/strong><br>Believe in your abilities and don\u2019t let anyone make you feel like you don\u2019t belong. Work<br>hard, stay confident, and support other women along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What has been your favorite or most interesting class taken at Clemson?<br><\/strong>Women and Psychology has been the most interesting class I&#8217;ve taken at Clemson<br>because it has taught me so much about the challenges women face around the world. It\u2019s<br>given me a deeper understanding of different experiences and perspectives, and how<br>those shape women\u2019s lives and choices.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Trinity Webb<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>Gymnastics<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/E2A20339-B23C-471A-BBCE-C94283584877-576x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-849\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6670106284181199;object-fit:cover;width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/E2A20339-B23C-471A-BBCE-C94283584877-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/E2A20339-B23C-471A-BBCE-C94283584877-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/E2A20339-B23C-471A-BBCE-C94283584877-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/E2A20339-B23C-471A-BBCE-C94283584877-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/E2A20339-B23C-471A-BBCE-C94283584877-1152x2048.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/E2A20339-B23C-471A-BBCE-C94283584877-scaled.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Major:<\/strong> Communication <br><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Smithville, Missouri<br><br><strong>What does it mean to be a woman in sports?<br><\/strong>Being a female athlete means a great deal to me because it represents strength, resilience, and the ability to take up space with confidence. It means embracing the pressure that comes with higher expectations and learning how to carry myself with purpose both in competition and in everyday life. As a woman in sports, I am often aware that performance is only part of how I am judged, which has pushed me to develop a strong sense of self and confidence in my identity. At the same time, being a female athlete is empowering; it gives me a voice, a platform, and the opportunity to represent younger girls who are watching and learning what is possible. For me, it means proving that women can be powerful, disciplined, and competitive while staying true to who they are and using sport to grow not only as athletes but as people. <br><br><strong>What aspect of sports science have you found most interesting or impactful in your athletic experience? <\/strong><br>One aspect of sports science that has been most impactful in my athletic experience is nutrition, especially for female athletes. Proper fueling plays a major role in performance recovery and overall health it is often underestimated. I have learned that nutrition directly affects energy levels, injury prevention, and consistency in training. When athletes feel their bodies correctly, they are better able to recover and perform at a higher level over time. For women in sports, Understanding Nutrition has helped me view food as a tool for strength and performance rather than limitation, making it one of the most important aspects of sports science in my experience.<br><br><strong>What is your advice for aspiring women in sports?<\/strong><br>My advice for aspiring women in sports is to trust yourself, especially during times when you may be underestimated or overlooked. There will be moments when others doubt your abilities or fail to see your potential, and learning not to let that define you is important. Confidence has to come from within, not from external validation, and that is something I am still learning myself. Growth in sports is not always linear, but believing in your worth and staying committed to your goals can make all the difference. continue to show up, work hard, and advocate for yourself, because your presence and voice matter just as much as your performance.<br><br><strong>What has been your favorite or most interesting class taken at Clemson?<br><\/strong>My favorite class I&#8217;ve taken at Clemson has been criminal law because I enjoy learning about how the legal system works and understanding the reasoning behind laws and Court decisions. I find it interesting to see how real-life cases are analyzed and how the justice system impacts people and society, especially when it comes to justice being taken.\u00a0<br><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Shanque Williams<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>Track and Field<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_4319-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-826\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6670106284181199;object-fit:cover;width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_4319-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_4319-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_4319-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_4319-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_4319-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/IMG_4319-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Major:<\/strong> Psychology <br><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> St. Elizabeth, Jamaica<br><br><strong>What does it mean to be a woman in sports?<br><\/strong>Being a woman in sports means embracing both strength and vulnerability while constantly pushing myself to be better. It means overcoming challenges, proving my abilities, and staying confident in spaces where women are sometimes underestimated. As a female athlete, I take pride in representing where I come from and showing that women can be powerful, disciplined, and resilient. Competing as a woman in sports has taught me self-belief, perseverance, and the importance of using my voice and presence to inspire others.<br><br><strong>What aspect of sports science have you found most interesting or impactful in your athletic experience? <\/strong><br>The most impactful aspect of sports science in my athletic experience has been recovery<br>and injury prevention. Learning how proper recovery, rest, and monitoring fatigue affect<br>performance has helped me understand that recovery is just as important as training.<br>Paying attention to things like muscle soreness, sleep, and overall readiness has allowed<br>me to take better care of my body, stay healthier throughout the season, and perform at a higher level during competition.<br><br><strong>What is your advice for aspiring women in sports?<\/strong><br>My advice for aspiring women in sports is to stay persistent and never let stereotypes<br>define your limits. There will be moments when people doubt your abilities or<br>underestimate you, but those moments should fuel your motivation rather than discourage you. Stay committed to your goals, trust your work, and continue showing up even when it\u2019s difficult. By staying consistent and believing in yourself, you not only prove others wrong, but you also create space for more women to be confident and successful in sports.<br><br><strong>What has been your favorite or most interesting class taken at Clemson?<br><\/strong>My favorite and most interesting class at Clemson has been PSYC 2030: Fundamentals<br>of Psychology. This class helped me better understand human behavior, mental processes, and how the mind influences performance. As both a psychology major and a student-athlete, the course has been especially meaningful because it connects directly to motivation, focus, and mental resilience in sports.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Oneka Wilson<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>Track and Field<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TrackShowcase-1247-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-833\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6670106284181199;object-fit:cover;width:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TrackShowcase-1247-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TrackShowcase-1247-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TrackShowcase-1247-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TrackShowcase-1247-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TrackShowcase-1247-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TrackShowcase-1247-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Major:<\/strong> Parks, Tourism and Recreation Management <br><strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Portland, Jamaica<br><br><strong>What does it mean to be a woman in sports?<br><\/strong>Being a woman in sports means pursuing passion and excellence while often overcoming inequality and stereotypes. It\u2019s about empowerment, resilience, and claiming space in a traditionally male-dominated field.<br><br><strong>What aspect of sports science have you found most interesting or impactful in your athletic experience? <\/strong><br>As a track athlete, nutrition has been the most impactful. Eating properly helps fuel training, improve recovery, and maintain consistent performance.<br><br><strong>What is your advice for aspiring women in sports?<\/strong><br>Believe in your ability, advocate for yourself, and don\u2019t be afraid to take up space. Stay disciplined, build a strong support system, and remember that your presence in sports matters.<br><br><strong>What has been your favorite or most interesting class taken at Clemson?<br><\/strong>My favorite class at Clemson has been my PRTM EDGE class because I met a lot of new people and made friendships that are still strong today.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In celebration of National Girls &amp; Women in Sports Day on February 4, the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute highlights seven female student-athletes. Representing a variety of sports, these athletes share their experiences as women in sport, reflect on the role of sports science in their development, and offer advice to the next generation. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3675,"featured_media":847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,181],"tags":[10],"coauthors":[63150],"class_list":["post-822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-students","tag-clemson-university"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/NWSD-150x150.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=822"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":828,"date":"2026-02-03T15:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/?p=828"},"modified":"2026-02-03T19:23:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:23:06","slug":"clemson-tiger-racing-is-hitting-the-track-for-first-ever-endurance-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/2026\/02\/03\/clemson-tiger-racing-is-hitting-the-track-for-first-ever-endurance-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Clemson Tiger Racing is hitting the track for first-ever endurance race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Nathan Inman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TeamPicture-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Clemson Tiger Racing team with their car in front of ICAR \" class=\"wp-image-830\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992901088499764;width:517px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TeamPicture-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TeamPicture-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TeamPicture-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TeamPicture-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TeamPicture-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Clemson Tiger Racing team with their car in front of ICAR <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>On January 24, the American motorsports season officially kicked off with the running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Among the attendees at the event was Tyson Tucker, team principal of Clemson Tiger Racing (CTR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CTR is Clemson\u2019s student-run endurance motorsport team, giving students of all majors and backgrounds a chance to work on a race car, and even potentially drive one. Tucker recently sat down for an interview with the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute to explain the history of the organization and give insight into what this semester looks like for the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CTR was founded in 2023 and has continued to grow ever since. Over the previous two years, CTR has participated in track days, which are solo test runs with no real competition, to build up to their goal of endurance racing. This month, that goal comes to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis February will be our first ever wheel-to-wheel race,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of our biggest thing for this semester. We\u2019ve been promising this is the point we want to get to, and now we\u2019re actually able to do that, which is really awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_5748-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CTR car at the first friday parade\" class=\"wp-image-835\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992732765254069;width:425px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_5748-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_5748-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_5748-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_5748-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_5748.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>CTR car at the First Friday parade<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The event will take place on February 28 at the Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina. The journey to the track has not been easy, though; as anyone familiar with the racing scene would attest to, entry into motorsports can be a costly endeavor. For that reason, teams in all facets of racing rely on sponsorship to fund their programs, and CTR is no different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most recently, CTR signed its newest sponsorship with Celsius to become the official energy drink of the team. Tucker explained that the continued growth of the organization is what has allowed CTR to sign deals such as this one.&nbsp;When he first joined the team, Tucker said there were maybe 25-30 members. As of the Spring semester, CTR is home to 100-plus students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt has grown immensely over the last couple of semesters, which is amazing,\u201d Tucker added. \u201cIt\u2019s allowed us to do a lot of really cool things, and with some of these new members we\u2019re bringing, we\u2019re able to reach more sponsors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured left-to-right: Samuel Desantis, Noah Miller, Matthew Flaim, Tyson Tucker in front of their car\" class=\"wp-image-831\" style=\"width:387px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1-50x50.jpg 50w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/DSC_9578-2-1-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Pictured left-to-right: Samuel Desantis, Noah Miller, Matthew Flaim, Tyson Tucker<\/em> <em>in front of their car<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As the organization has grown, students with prior racing experience have been able to help prepare the team for the upcoming event. From karting to Spec Miata, there are several team members with a background in racing who hope to have the team set up for success later this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to drivers with on-track experience, CTR is also partnered with the Collegiate Racing Series (CRS), which was co-founded by Jack Hobbs, a recent Clemson graduate and founding member of Clemson Tiger Racing. CRS partners with organizations from schools across the country, providing students with educational tools to learn about race craft, fundraising and managing a race team. Along with these resources, CRS also leases Miata race cars to student organizations to assist them in getting their program started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the chance to earn hands-on experience with a race team and connections to a large network within the industry through the Collegiate Racing Series, Tucker says CTR can provide amazing opportunities for students looking to find their way into motorsports. Students interested in joining or learning more about Clemson Tiger Racing can find more information on <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/clemsontigerracing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TigerQuest<\/a>, or at <a href=\"https:\/\/clemsontigerracing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">clemsontigerracing.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nathan Inman On January 24, the American motorsports season officially kicked off with the running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Among the attendees at the event was Tyson Tucker, team principal of Clemson Tiger Racing (CTR). CTR is Clemson\u2019s student-run endurance motorsport team, giving students of all majors and backgrounds a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4233,"featured_media":830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63147,63178,6820,181],"tags":[],"coauthors":[63151],"class_list":["post-828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts","category-motorsports","category-programs-events","category-students"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/files\/2026\/02\/TeamPicture-150x150.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/brookssports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]