On February 19, more than 20 students from Rice University officially declared Sport Management as their major in a signing ceremony held at the Saint Arnold Brewing Company. The ceremony, hosted jointly by the Department of Sport Management and the Rice Sport Business Society, also served as a mixer for students to network with professionals in the local sports industry.
“It’s fun to shine the spotlight on our newest majors,” Dr. Clark Haptonstall, Chair of the Department of Sport Management, said. “It’s also a great chance for those executives already working in the sport industry to network with our current students and each other. It is an event that we all look forward to.”
Around 30 sports professionals attended the mixer and signing ceremony, representing companies that range from athletic teams like the Houston Dynamo to nonprofit organizations like the Positive Coaching Alliance. Each professional offered students valuable tips for breaking into the sports industry.
“My biggest piece of advice for people that are looking for jobs is to start now,” said Lilly Marrow ’14, an Assistant Merchant for Footwear and Fitness Equipment at the Academy Sports + Outdoors corporate office. “If you have an opportunity, take it as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid to branch out, and don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, like with networking. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk to the people that are in your desired field.”
Alongside young Rice alumni like Marrow, seasoned executives also mingled with the students, giving the recently declared undergraduates a glimpse of the opportunities that await them in the Sport Management major.
“I got to shake Chris Canetti’s hand, the President of the Dynamo,” said DJ Green ’17, who signed at the ceremony. “I was really excited to do that. It’s nice to know that we have that kind of connection at Rice where we can meet highly regarded people in the sports industry.”
In total, 26 students make up the Rice Sport Management Signing Class of 2017:
- William Carter ’17 (Houston, TX)
- Denzel Davis ’17 (Orlando, FL)
- Andres Diego ’17 (Miami, FL & New York, NY)
- Scott Filip ’17 (Chicago, IL)
- Peter Godber ’17 (Toronto, ON)
- DJ Green ’17 (Mesquite, TX)
- Marcus Jackson ’17 (Los Angeles, CA)
- Taylor Knopf ’16 (Boerne, TX)
- Egor Koulechov ’17 (Volgograd, Russia)
- Alex Levy ’17 (Austin, TX)
- Meyrav Levy ’17 (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Amalya Lewinson ’17 (San Antonio, TX)
- Paine Matiscik ’17 (Dallas, TX)
- Megan Palmer ’16 (Katy, TX)
- Jason Petro ’17 (Connecticut area)
- Ali Pineiro ’17 (South Florida area)
- Kevin Reilly ’17 (Central Florida area)
- Jeremy Reiskind ’17 (St. Petersburg, FL)
- Summer Roberson ’17 (Houston, TX)
- Sergio Santamaria ’18 (Spring, TX)
- Eboni Sutherland ’17 (Corona, CA)
- Colton Torrance ’17 (Clear Lake, TX)
- Enrique Walsh ’17 (El Salvador)
- Robby Wells ’16 (Katy, TX)
- Dayne Wunderlich ’17 (Brenham, TX)
- Zach Yablon ’17 (New York, NY)
The Rice Sport Business Society is a student-run organization whose mission is to create awareness and valuable opportunities for the students of the Department of Sport Management at Rice University.
Molly Mohr, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, is majoring in Sport Management and English.