DAPHNE, Ala. – An accomplished soccer player, coach and administrator at virtually every level of the game, United States Sports Academy alumnus Lance Noble is using his skills as the soccer club director for one of the nation’s largest youth recreation and athletics organizations. Noble earned his Master of Sports Science degree in Sports Coaching at the Academy in 2005. He is club director for Texas Thunder, a youth soccer organization of the Plano Sports…

DAPHNE, Ala. – Highly regarded athletics administrator and United States Sports Academy alumnus Barry Haley has been named 2017-18 Athletic Director of the Year by the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association (MSSADA). A Middleton, Mass., resident, Haley has more than 30 years of service as a high school athletic director and more than 40 years working in school sports programs. He has worked as the athletic director at Concord-Carlisle Regional High School in Concord,…

DAPHNE, Ala. – Dr. Lindsey Schroeder, who recently became the 5000th graduate in the history of the United States Sports Academy, is using her Academy doctoral degree to pursue her dream career of teaching and serving in a clinical position at the college level. Schroeder is an assistant professor and the clinical education coordinator for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Athletic Training Program within its School of Health and Applied Human Sciences. She…

DAPHNE, Ala. – United States Sports Academy alumnus Scott Garvis, who has worked as the athletics and activities director at Newton (Iowa) Senior High School for five years, will soon move into a similar position at Ankeny (Iowa) Centennial High School. Garvis earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 2005. A native of Worthington, Minn., Garvis has more than 20 years of experience as a coach and athletics…

DAPHNE, Ala. – After spending nearly two decades as an assistant football coach at one of NCAA Division II’s most successful programs, United States Sports Academy alumnus Ernie McCook has been promoted to head football coach at the same program. McCook spent 18 years as an assistant coach for the Rams of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va., working his way up from position coach to offensive coordinator to assistant head coach for legendary coach Monte…

DAPHNE, Ala. – United States Sports Academy alumnus and University of North Carolina Pembroke (UNCP) men’s basketball associate head coach Drew Richards was recently recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the country. Richards was honored as one of the best assistant coaches in NCAA Division II by CoachStat.net, a website that uses analytical data to compile a comprehensive ranking of men’s basketball coaches in a variety of categories. CoachStat.net said the list,…

DAPHNE, Ala. – United States Sports Academy alumna Karen M. Carty is using her master’s degree to lead the sports marketing program at Louisiana’s Grambling State University (GSU). A native of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Carty is completing her first year as the assistant athletics director for marketing and communications at GSU. Prior to Grambling, Carty worked in the athletics department at South Carolina State University (SCSU) as the director of marketing…

DAPHNE, Ala. – Aimee Fador was a highly regarded high school basketball player who could have gone to college on an athletic scholarship, but, like many people, special family circumstances kept her from leaving home to attend college immediately after high school graduation. A former high-level basketball player at Waterford (Conn.) High School, Fador was recruited by several Division I and II basketball programs. However, circumstances led to her choosing to stay home to be…

DAPHNE, Ala. – Dr. China Jude said her education from the United States Sports Academy gave her the knowledge and confidence to excel in the world of collegiate sports, which led to her recent hiring to a senior athletics administration position at the University of Wyoming. Jude recently made a long-sought jump to NCAA Division I upon being hired as the senior associate athletics director for administration and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) at the University…

DAPHNE, Ala. – United States Sports Academy alumnus Darryl Nance has been presented the Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award, a national honor given annually to an administrator who has made significant contributions and demonstrated excellence in professional development at the local, state and national levels. Nance earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 1991 and his bachelor’s degree from Furman University in 1985. After nearly 30 years as…

DAPHNE, Ala. – The manager of one of the largest sports arenas in North Dakota says his United States Sports Academy master’s degree and participation in the institution’s mentorship program helped launch his career in the sports facilities management field. Jody Hodgson earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management in 1995 and his bachelor’s degree in business at Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada. A resident of Grand Forks, N.D., Hodgson is the…

DAPHNE, Ala. – Longtime U.S. Navy Commander Dr. David Peterson is using his United States Sports Academy doctoral degree to transition from a distinguished military career into a second career in higher education. Peterson earned his Doctor of Education degree in sports management with an emphasis in health and fitness in 2014. He was named the Academy’s 2015 Alumnus of the Year for his outstanding performance in the armed forces, even while pursuing his doctorate…