Your Project, Our Classroom

Texas A&M University is proud to partner with sport organizations across the globe. With this alliance and investment, Texas A&M University can provide our Capstone Experience students with hands-on and practical experience. By working with our students, this real-world experience impacts their lives as leaders and future employees in the Sport Management field.

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Ben Swift, 2025

Ben Swift

Over a few action-packed days, I got to dive into all sides of event operations working with the West Coast Conference— stocking coolers and water stations for the athletes, setting up courts, taking scores, organizing practice areas, helping direct fans, managing signage and gear marketing, delegating tasks, monitoring volunteers, and jumping in wherever needed, all the way through event teardown. I’m truly grateful for the chance to get hands-on experience and see what it takes to run a successful sporting event from the ground up. Huge shoutout to Hank Przelenski from LMU and Austin England from the WCC for their guidance and leadership. Through out this semester my project Partner, Ashton Almond, and I dove into social media and website marketing research for LMU Athletics! Ashton and I analyzed the Instagram accounts and websites of mid-major conferences, gathering intel on fan engagement strategies, content styles, branding, posting frequency, and key performance metrics. We put together a full proposal with our findings, presenting actionable ideas to help LMU strengthen its social media presence, drive fan engagement, and boost attendance at sporting events. As this semester comes to wraps and we put our final finishing touches on our proposal for LMU, I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to share our final proposal in the next few days with LMU. This project gave me valuable insight into how digital marketing directly impacts the success of athletic programs. It was an awesome experience blending research, creativity, and strategy — and I’m grateful for the chance to contribute to the future of LMU Athletics! This experience made me even more excited to continue my journey in the world of sports operations! Thank you again Hank Przelenski & Ashley Armstrong at Loyola Marymount University!

Words of Wisdom

  • Engage with whoever you are working for
  • Ask for more tasks
  • Embrace the down time to build connections, trust, and a strong work ethic.

Ashton Almond, 2025

Ashton Almond

I am incredibly grateful for such an unforgettable experience. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms by everyone—staff, players, and coaches alike. One of my favorite moments was when Ben and I were refilling a Gatorade cooler, and a Pepperdine coach and player struck up a conversation with us. After thanking us for helping out, they asked who we were and where we were from. When we told them we were there for our capstone project and had come all the way from Texas A&M, they were genuinely appreciative. It was such a simple interaction, but it really stuck with me—just one of many positive experiences we had throughout the tournament. Another memorable interaction came from one of the University of San Francisco coaches. On the very first day, he made a point to thank us multiple times for our efforts, which meant a lot to us, especially since our role was to support the teams and make sure their experience at the tournament was the best it could be. After San Francisco was eliminated, their coaches still went out of their way to thank us as they were leaving. Even though their tournament run had ended, their gratitude was unwavering. I remember turning to Ben afterward and saying how I wished they were still in the competition because of how impactful that moment was for me. During the tournament, our responsibilities included keeping team tents stocked with Gatorade and towels, ensuring water and Gatorade coolers at each court were refilled, setting up signage and QR codes for WCC beach volleyball merchandise, and assisting other volunteers whenever needed. We also helped with scorekeeping, making sure everything ran smoothly, and kept the practice courts organized between matches. After each game, we ensured that the courts were reset and ready for the next teams.

Words of Wisdom

  • Embrace the opportunity.