Sport Management Major Impressive Presentation at National

Wed, 02/26/2025 - 12:00

Sport Management major Ethan Gomulka, Class of 2026, finished an impressive third place in the National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship held February 18 and 19 in Nashville, Tenn. Ethan competed against 61 other talented data analysts from colleges and universities all across the country.

“I never thought I'd end up in the top three. Presenting in front of over a hundred people during the Final Four was an unforgettable experience,” said Ethan, who is also minoring in Sports Analytics and Computer Science.

In the competition, participants were evaluated on the sophistication of their analysis and on the ethical considerations and transparency of their approach. Ethan analyzed the Professional Women's Hockey League social media data and examined ways to refine engagement metrics to better capture meaningful fan interactions and explored factors that influence engagement.

He credits part of his success to the support and encouragement of his academic and career goals that he received from Daigo Yazawa, PhD, assistant professor of Sport Management; Heather Gilmour, EdD, associate professor of Sport Management and chair of the Department of Sport Management and Recreation; and his then-advisor Jan Bethea, former assistant professor of Sport Management.

Yazawa expressed how proud he was of Ethan's remarkable performance and how he represented Springfield College on the national stage.

“He competed against some of the best data analysts, most of whom are seniors. Placing third is a tremendous accomplishment,” Yazawa said. “The field of data analytics continues to evolve in the sports industry, and I believe the experience Ethan gained at this championship will greatly benefit his future endeavors.

Ethan couldn’t agree more.

“I wanted to make Springfield College proud, and I think I did just that! I can't wait to see where this achievement takes me next,” he said.