Sport management students play a part in historical NCAA Women's Final Four

Commonwealth University-Lock Haven's Sport Management Club traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, this spring to volunteer at the record-breaking 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four that concluded a landmark season with historic growth in viewership, ticket prices, and attendance.

Students gained professional experience and took part in history by working at the semifinals and championship games on April 3 and 5, respectively, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Students worked with the luxury hospitality company On Location to provide VIP services for premium ticket holders, verifying ticket packages, and serving as ushers to suites. Students were also responsible for operating basketball contests at Tourney Town, a free fan festival held at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.

CU-Lock Haven faculty members, Bridget Roun and Dain TePoel, accompanied 10 sport management students on the trip: Kylie Auman, of Centre Hall; Nita Imeri, of Montgomery; Austin Melius, of Bellefonte; Ryan Miller, of Allentown; Hannah Possinger, of East Stroudsburg; Davin Roy, of Colchester, Connecticut; Aubrey Schilling, of Williamsport; and Benjamin Walter, of Easton, from the Lock Haven campus, and Abbey Hengst, of Drums; and Jason Yeick, of Catawissa, from the Bloomsburg campus.

A sold-out crowd of 18,300 attended South Carolina's defeat of Iowa 87-75 in the championship game. A record 18.7 million viewers watched on TV, the largest audience ever measured by Nielsen for a women's college basketball game, and the first time the women's final drew a larger audience than the men's.

"Having the opportunity to witness one of the biggest events for women in sport's history as a female student-athlete myself was extremely emotional," Hengst said. "The days were filled with sadness and excitement as I recognized that it took us this long to get here, but this is only the beginning of a big change to come for women in sports."

Aside from volunteer shifts, students took advantage of the opportunity to network with sport industry professionals and enjoy the games as fans.

"I've learned a lot from classes and completing assignments at both the undergraduate and graduate level," said Possinger, a graduate student nearing completion of her master's degree in sport management. "However, what makes this program unique, and the reason I chose this university to complete both of my degrees, is the experiential learning opportunities that the sport management program offers." 

She added, "Of all the experiences I've had the privilege of being a part of, this was the most impactful because we were able to see history being made and because it's the last trip I will go on as a student."

Several other students on the trip are a part of the accelerated sport management program and will begin their graduate studies in the fall, including Auman, Melius, Roy, and Walter.

"I'm grateful to be starting my graduate coursework in the fall because it gives me another year of experiences like this," Auman said. "This trip, like the others we've gone on, has been so important in developing our students and preparing them to work in the sport industry. We all had a wonderful time, and it was a trip that we will never forget."