Twenty of Rice’s recent graduates have launched directly into the sports industry, securing roles with professional sports teams, collegiate athletics, and agencies.
“While individual success stories are always worth celebrating, the volume of students securing these opportunities in a single year speaks to the caliber of our students, the meaningful experiences they are obtaining, and the strength of the professional networks they are building through our program,” said Tom Stallings, Professor in the Practice of Sport Management.
Though the alumni are entering the sports world in varied roles, from data analytics and operations to partnership activation and coaching, they all have strong backgrounds built by internships backed by the reputation of the department.
“It’s no secret that Rice Sport Management is ranked No. 1 [in the country],” said Nathaniel Ascher ’26 in his interview after winning the 2026 Jimmy Disch Sport Analytics Award. He will be joining Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs as a Junior Data Scientist. “Employers are excited to attract Rice students to their jobs, and I think it’s helped me stand out in such a competitive industry—being part of the Sport Management department and learning many lessons through classes from our professors, the connections I’ve made with them, and the experiences I’ve been able to have outside of the classroom.”
Meet the newest Rice Owls joining the sports industry this year.
Nathaniel Ascher ’26
Majors: Sport Analytics and Mathematics
Chicago Cubs
Jr. Data Scientist
A recent co-winner of the Jimmy Disch Sport Analytics Award, Ascher built a strong background in baseball analytics through internships with the Lake Erie Crushers and the New York Yankees and as Student Director of Baseball Analytics for Rice Baseball. He co-presented at the 2025 Saberseminar, the premier baseball analytics event in the country, and competed in the Diamond Dollars Case Competition at the SABR Analytics Conference.
Jace Borkholder '26
Majors: Sport Management and Business
Rice Men's Basketball
Graduate Assistant
Now pursuing his MBA at Rice, Borkholder has been a student manager for Rice Men's Basketball since his freshman year. He also interned in game operations with the San Francisco Glens SC, in marketing with the Baltimore Ravens, and in community outreach with the San Francisco Marathon.
Brandon Braccia '26
Majors: Sport Management and Business
New York Islanders
Corporate Partnerships Analyst
Braccia interned in corporate strategy and/or partnership activation with a variety of organizations, including the Houston Rockets, Madison Square Garden, LEARFIELD, Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the Houston Roughnecks. He also interned in baseball analytics with Rice Athletics and worked as a talent escort for the National Football League and in production for the 2024 College Football National Championship.
Tre'Shon Devones '23
Major: Sport Management
Duke Football
Director of Scouting - Defense
A former Rice Football player, Devones interned with Inside the League and ESPN, coached and officiated youth football with Next Level Sports, and was a scouting assistant for Michigan State Football. He played football at Duke while earning his graduate degree.
Matthew Edelstein ’25
Majors: Sport Management and Finance
Professional Sport Partners
Data and Insights Analyst
Edelstein interned in various roles with ESPN, the Houston Astros, Investment Fund Analyst with TAMID at Rice, PayStandards, New Horizon Strategies, College Football Playoff, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and Rice Athletics.
Lucca Ferraz ’26
Majors: Sport Analytics and Statistics
University of Pittsburgh Football
Data Scientist
A recent winner of the Jimmy Disch Sport Analytics Award, Ferraz served as Rice’s Student Director of Football Analytics this past year after working for the football program in analytics, video operations, scouting, and recruiting. Ferraz was a 2025 finalist and the 2026 winner of the NFL Big Data Bowl, one of the most prestigious sport analytics competitions in the world, performed undergraduate summer research as a Sports Analytics Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, and interned with the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays and the Montgomery Sports Group.
Natalie Gorji ’24, M’26
Majors: Sport Management and Business
Tampa Bay Lightning
CRM Analyst
Gorji was a Business Intelligence Fellow with Austin FC and also interned with Rice Athletics and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. She pursued her Master’s in Business Administration from Rice after graduating from the Department of Sport Management in 2024.
Kushal Gupta ’26
Majors: Sport Analytics and Computer Science
Houston Dynamo
Data Scientist
Gupta worked in data and analytics for Rice Baseball, BeONE Sports, Denver Summit FC, and src | ftbl. He was also the Rice Soccer Analytics Lead for the Rice Sport Analytics team.
Tanner Holland ’26
Major: Sport Management
Arizona Diamondbacks
New Business Consultant
Holland interned with the Diamondbacks’ New Business Team, earning experience directly related to his new role. He also interned with Rice Athletics in marketing, ticketing, and sales capacities, then ultimately served as the Assistant Director of Baseball Operations.
Siwoo Jung ’26
Major: Sport Analytics
Presbyterian College
Assistant Soccer Coach
Jung built his soccer experience through internships with the United Soccer League, Rice Soccer, the Phoenix Rising Football Club and the Houston Dynamo Football Club. He also coached elite youth soccer for Paris Saint-Germain Academy Houston.
Ian Kleppinger ’26
Majors: Sport Analytics and Statistics
Arizona Diamondbacks
Associate, Baseball Research and Development
Kleppinger previously interned with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Rice Athletics, Florence Y’alls, and Spearfish Sasquatch Baseball Club. He also presented at the 2025 Saberseminar and helped produce student-led sports radio shows and podcasts at Rice.
Dante Maurice ’26
Majors: Sport Analytics and Statistics
Kansas City Royals
Research and Development Analyst
Maurice served as the Student Assistant Director of Analytics for the Rice Sport Analytics Team (RSAT) for two years and was part of Rice’s winning Diamond Dollars Case Competition team. He also conducted summer undergraduate research at Carnegie Mellon University and interned in baseball operations and data analytics with the New York Boulders.
Kathleen Ortiz '26
Majors: Sport Management and Social Policy Analysis
Dallas Morning News
Sports Digital Producer
Ortiz built up her writing portfolio by interning with the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and the Department of Sport Management. She was also the sports editor, then editor-in-chief, of the Rice Thresher.
Savan Patel ’26
Majors: Sport Analytics and Statistics
Miami Dolphins
Football Analytics Staff Assistant
Patel interned for Rice Football in recruiting, scouting, and video operations roles. He also interned in player development for the Houston Astros and was a sponsored attendee for the 2026 SABR Analytics Conference.
Lorenzo Rios '26
Major: Sport Management
Washington Nationals
Bullpen Catcher/Coaching Assistant
A former Rice Baseball player, Rios coached players with the Backstop Bandits and Elite Baseball Training. He also interned in marketing and outreach with the Backstop Bandits, La Casa Baseball Training Academy, and Rice Athletics.
Elena Schwegman ’25, M’26
Majors: Sport Management and Finance
Houston Texans
Football Administration Coordinator
A former javelin thrower for Rice Track and Field, Schwegman built experience in football operations through roles with Rice Football, the University of Houston, the Houston Texans, the Detroit Lions, and the NFL league office. She just completed her Master of Accounting degree from Rice Business. Schwegman was also selected to attend the 2026 NFL Women’s Forum and won the Jesse Tsu Sport Management Academic Achievement Award and Patrick K. Thornton Memorial Award during her time at Rice.
Peyton Stevenson ’26
Major: Sport Analytics
Baltimore Ravens - National Football League
Sports Science Fellow
A former Rice Football student-athlete, Stevenson was a Sports Science Intern with Rice Athletics for football and women’s tennis. He also coached youth football for Next Level Sports and partnered with national brands such as adidas, CVS Pharmacy, and Hollister as an NIL content creator.
Tosha Tkaczyk ’26
Major: Sport Management
Learfield
Partnership Solutions Coordinator with Rice Sports Properties
Tkaczyk previously interned with Learfield, Rice Soccer, and Rice Athletics. She was also an Operations Assistant with LOVB Houston and a Stage Manager for Major League Soccer.
Zefa Tullis-Thompson ’25
Majors: Sport Management and Sport Medicine/Exercise Physiology
Rice University Football
Assistant Director of Football Operations and Recruiting
The newest winner of the Lindsay Roemmich Sport Management Achievement Award, Tullis-Thompson held internships with the College Football Playoff, NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, Rice Football, and Rice Athletics Facilities and Events. She was also the Operations Lead for the American Soccer Insights Summit, hosted by Rice’s Department of Sport Management.
Alexa Vela ’26
Majors: Sport Management and Business
CAA - Agency
Account Manager, Golf - Amazon Web Services
Vela gained extensive golf industry experience through internships with the Houston Astros Golf Foundation, PGA Tour Events Intern, the United States Golf Association, First Tee, and Rice Golf.