For the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ women’s soccer team, their first year playing in the ACC has been a critical one. ACC teams have won seven of the last 10 national championships in the sport and made up all four teams in the 2024 Final Four – to say it’s a competitive environment would be an understatement.
What has helped them drive ahead? Hiring a sport scientist.
“Our players [run] eight to ten miles per game at high-speed distance, so keeping their bodies healthy and performing at the highest level is crucial,” says Head Coach Nicole Nelson. “This sport science position has allowed us to tap into actionable insights.”
Thanks to 121 donors plus matching opportunities, the team was able to raise more than $51,000 last year during ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Giving Day. They used those funds to support the hiring of a sport scientist, who helps the team compete at the highest level.
“Jammie, our current sport scientist, is incredible,” says goalkeeper Haven Empey ’25. “She brings out all the data, tracks it, analyzes it, and makes sure that we can maintain during the season, build offseason, and make sure we’re putting the right stresses on our bodies so that we can grow as athletes and reach peak performance but still be healthy.”
Sport Scientist Jammie Hsueh tracks data to help each player analyze whether they are putting too much stress on their bodies during games so that they can perform at their best and prevent any further injury. This keeps players at their best and playing longer.
“Jammie teaches us and prepares us for peak performance but also explains to us and tells us why, and I think that’s really important to take that with us in our future journeys,” says center back Hali Hartman ’26.
Part of Hsueh’s role as sport scientist is to assist players with warmups, cooldowns and recovery. In addition, she helps trainers improve their “return to play” protocol.
“Playing high minutes and having such a high load on our bodies, having someone to manage that and look at everyone’s individual numbers has helped me as a player,” says midfielder Lydia Ungashick ’27. “They truly care about our recovery. Having someone who truly specializes in that has been a great opportunity.”
One day. One ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½.
Together, we can shape a brighter future. Let’s show the world what Mustangs can do.
