Former national coach of the year in collegiate basketball and United States Sports Academy master’s degree holder Chad Killinger was recently hired as the ninth women’s basketball coach at Indiana State University. An Indiana native, Killinger earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 2003 while coaching at Jacksonville (Texas) College. Killinger, a former national coach of the year for two-year colleges, previously worked as an assistant coach at Nicholls State University, where he served as the recruiting coordinator and helped the Colonels rank in the top 50 nationally in six statistical categories. Throughout his 25-year coaching career, Killinger has held nearly every position possible in a collegiate basketball program, from student-assistant coach, to assistant coach, to junior college head coach and now Division [...]

The Denver Broncos have named United States Sports Academy 2011 Alumna of the Year Dr. China Jude as their new Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – a newly created role for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. In the role Jude – who holds an Academy Master of Sports Science degree in sports management – will work closely with football, business and community leadership on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy. She will also work directly with the human resources and community development departments, focusing on recruitment, hiring processes, overall workplace environment and external outreach. In addition to leading the organization's overall DEI strategy and representing the team as an external ambassador on social justice initiatives, Jude will guide the team's internal DEI committee as it hosts [...]

United States Sports Academy graduate Matt Lowe has an opportunity that most coaches at the collegiate level never get – to be the first coach in their program’s history. Lowe was recently hired as the first ever coach for the brand new women’s cross country team at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Wash. Lowe holds a Master of Sports Science (M.S.S.) degree in sports coaching from the Academy. He also had a successful collegiate running career at Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky. He recently coached cross country at Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he helped design training for long-distance runners in the steeplechase, 5k, 10k distances, and throwing events; and helped athletes achieve All-Conference Academic and Athletic honors as well as winning conference titles and breaking school and conference records. “The [...]

Graciela Steidley has more than 20 years of experience coaching softball at the high school and collegiate levels, but her bachelor’s degree from the United States Sports Academy ultimately helped her land her first collegiate head coaching position. Steidley holds a Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports studies from the Academy. She was recently hired as the head softball coach at the University of Antelope Valley (UAV) in Lancaster, Calif. “My education with United States Sports Academy helped my career by opening doors that were not possible prior to earning my degree,” Steidley said. “Prior to applying at the Academy, I was complacent with being an assistant coach and not looking to advance my education. It wasn’t until my daughter was injured and I had to watch her dreams [...]