Savannah Trotter, 2025
For my Capstone Experience, I worked with the National Scouting Combine (NSC) to help run their social media and alongside their marketing team. I created a four-week content plan to help more people learn about NSC and get athletes excited about the Combine. I made videos, athlete spotlights, and behind-the-scenes posts. I also helped keep everything organized with weekly updates and feedback from the team. This project helped me learn what it’s like to work in sports marketing in the real world. I got better at making content, working with others, and managing deadlines. It showed me how important social media is for building connections between athletes, teams, and fans, and it gave me good experience for my future career.
Words of Wisdom
- Stay Organized
- Ask Questions
- Do not be afraid to put your own ideas out there
Salomon Cisneros, 2026
Throughout my culminating experience with Dave Campbell's Texas Football we worked with Rudy on various assignments. We helped evalute prospect companies that would potentially be a good fit for the brand. Additionally, we got to develop our cold call and sales skills byreaching out to companies. Overall, this was a fun business project to work with. It helped me better my sales skills and gave me insight into what life might look like after school. It was also nice because this business project had me working in the same kind of sales and sponsorship workforce I want to work in one day.
Words of Wisdom
- Embrace being uncomfortable
Edgar Hernandez, 2026
I had the amazing opportunity to work as the ticket sales and operations student assistant for The Astros Foundation for the 2025 Astros College Classic that took place during the Spring 2025 semester. My job included making cold calls/emails individuals and organizations, marketing the event, assistance with on-site operations during the tournament, and much more! It was an eye-opening experience working with the Astros as it allowed me to gain excellent hands-on experience as well as solidifying my dream of working with a professional baseball team!
Words of Wisdom
- Make the most of your opportunity at hand, whether it's through a large or community-based organization!
- Network and put yourself out there as much as possible!
Erroll Daniels, 2026
During my time at Hyphenated Athletics, I served as the lead for athlete relations, where I was responsible for managing and enhancing our interactions with incoming and prospective athletes. I played a key role in shaping the onboarding experience by developing clear, professional onboarding statements that introduced athletes to our company’s values and services. To ensure seamless communication and follow-up, I also created and maintained a centralized database that tracked all athlete interactions, helping the team stay organized and informed throughout each athlete’s journey with us. In addition to streamlining internal processes, I contributed directly to the company’s growth and strategic outreach. I developed a comprehensive target list of athletes who aligned with our mission and values, enabling more focused recruitment efforts. Most importantly, I created a detailed brand marketing playbook designed to help athletes grow their personal brand and maximize their NIL opportunities. This guide provided actionable strategies for social media, personal storytelling, and partnership development, equipping athletes with the tools to take control of their image and future. Overall, my role combined relationship-building, strategy, and operational execution to support both the athletes and the organization.
Words of Wisdom
- Take everything in stride; every challenge is an opportunity to grow
Drum Harrison, 2025
My culminating experience with HYPHENATED ATHLETICS has been both strategic and creative, offering me the opportunity to lead a comprehensive digital audit and develop foundational marketing strategies for a growing NIL-focused brand. From the outset, I conducted an in-depth analysis of the brand’s visual identity, evaluating the HYPHENATED ATHLETICS logo for adaptability and resonance across platforms using multiple AI design tools. I assessed all existing social media platforms and determined Instagram to be the most promising channel for growth, particularly in the areas of storytelling, lifestyle branding, and athlete-centered content. In tandem, I benchmarked key competitors such as Opendorse, MarketPlace, and Teamworks to identify differentiators and found critical opportunities in content strategy and digital presence that HYPHENATED ATHLETICS could leverage. In addition, I developed an actionable roadmap to elevate brand awareness, which included best practices for athlete integration, partnership content, NIL education, and storytelling. I curated educational and motivational content aligned with the brand's mission and gathered podcast clips featuring Jamie Wood to support thought leadership and build trust with our audience. Lastly, I created an outline for an NIL-focused content series and drafted a flexible content calendar, laying the groundwork for ongoing digital engagement. This experience has not only deepened my understanding of brand strategy and athlete marketing in the NIL era but also empowered me to contribute meaningfully to the voice and vision of HYPHENATED ATHLETICS.
Words of Wisdom
- Be proactive
- Be confident
- Be adaptable
Ben Swift, 2025
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.
Seth Weitzel, 2025
This semester, my culminating experience with Hyphenated Athletics centered around developing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for student-athletes at Texas A&M. I worked directly with the Hyphenated Athletics team to build a pipeline of local businesses and community stakeholders in the Bryan-College Station area who could potentially engage in NIL partnerships. This included researching and identifying target businesses, analyzing their fit for NIL engagement, and crafting tailored outreach strategies that emphasized the mutual value of supporting local student-athletes. I also developed communication skills, addressed common business objections, and conducted direct outreach to business owners, including initial conversations with four local companies. To support long-term growth, I created a NIL Business Target List, a BCS Partnership Landscape Report, and a messaging framework to streamline future outreach. One of the highlights of the project was preparing and delivering a NIL education presentation for the head of marketing at Century Square, helping demystify NIL and showcasing how it can align with their marketing goals. Overall, the experience deepened my understanding of the NIL landscape and strengthened my skills in research, relationship-building, and strategic communication.
Words of Wisdom
- I would say to take full advantage of your experience and take as much away from it as possible.
Skylar Robles, 2025
I got to work directly on a number of significant projects at TexAgs, including site coordination, sponsor relations, and event planning. Together with my team, I helped plan and organize the Kick-Off Summer Kickball Tournament, securing sponsorships, organizing prizes, and helping to construct the event's framework. In order to improve the experience of sponsors and attendees, I also helped with the Pre-Season Kick-Off event by meeting with venue staff, redesigning the event arrangement, and coming up with ideas for raffle and auction item packages. I also oversaw communications for the Breaking Traditions screening by liaising with the event sponsor and venue manager to keep the preparation process on schedule. During my internship, I developed my ability to work under pressure, solve problems fast, and communicate effectively in a hectic setting. I was able to gain useful professional skills in event planning, marketing coordination, and teamwork throughout my time at TexAgs.
Words of Wisdom
- Be patient, open minded, and positive
Ashton Almond, 2025
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
Trace Cabaniss, 2026
Overall, it has been an absolute pleasure working alongside Mr. Klancnik under Professor Geyer's guidance. We believe Dave Campbell's Texas Football is headed in a great direction with it's heightened focus on podcasts for both high school and college football. We also believe innovative ideas that Mr. Klancnik provided, like potential involvement in girls' flag football, could separate DCTF from its competitors. Additionally, we look forward to helping DCTF run the Texas 7v7 Football State Championship at Veterans Park on June 26-28.
Words of Wisdom
- Work your hardest at providing your partner with the best possible product; at the end of the day, it all reflects back on you.