|
Presented by
|
|
|
Good morning. South Dakota hires Matt Vargas from Upper Iowa, a German Olympic gold medalist credits an AI mental health coach for his success, and what you eat today shapes how you sleep tonight. Let's get into it...
|
News
4
|
New Jobs
2
|
Events
6
|
|
🦌 South Dakota Names Matt Vargas Director of Football Sports Performance
South Dakota hired Matt Vargas as Director of Football Sports Performance. Vargas comes from Division II Upper Iowa where he spent the last 2.5 years building the S&C department from scratch and overseeing all 16 varsity sports.
Before Upper Iowa, he was a professional intern at Arkansas (2021-22), assistant S&C coach at Chadron State (2020-21), and grad assistant at Chadron State (2019-20). He earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from Chadron State and played five years as a tight end for the Eagles. Head coach Matt Vitzthum: "Matt's addition will help assist in developing our student-athletes and preparing them for the next level." Read More
🤖 German Bobsledder Credits AI Mental Health Coach for Olympic Gold
German bobsledder Johannes Lochner won two gold medals at the Winter Olympics last month and credited his mental health coach "Naia" as a vital member of his support team. The twist: "Naia" isn't a person—it's an AI-generated mental health coach.
Naia was developed through a decade of real-world interactions among athletes, therapists, and sports psychologists at Germany's Scheelen Institute. The app helps Lochner monitor stress levels and has developed a personalized step-by-step protocol to maintain composure during high-pressure competition moments. The question: are we on the brink of AI applications replacing mental health professionals and sports psychologists? Read More
🥗 What You Eat Today Shapes Your Sleep Tonight
Dr. Rhonda Patrick shared a study showing day-to-day dietary variations affect sleep quality. Higher-fiber, plant-diverse days lead to more deep and REM sleep, less light and fragmented sleep, and lower overnight heart rate. More processed foods and saturated fat increase nighttime wakefulness and reduce restorative sleep.
When dinner makes up a larger share of daily calories, people sleep longer but have a higher overnight heart rate. A 4-hour interval between last meal and bedtime (vs 2 hours) is associated with lower overnight heart rate. Long-term healthy eating is essential, but even daily dietary choices affect how well you sleep.” Read More
🏀 Unrivaled's Performance Staff Sets New Standard for Women's Basketball
Unrivaled has a performance staff of about 25 people supported by extensive tech: Plantiga insole sensors, Kinexon wearables, Springbok Analytics MRI scans, and VALD devices. Susan King Borchardt (director of performance and recovery) and Lindsey Elizondo (director of medical): "This should be the standard." Katie Buria from the Dream manages sports science and tech relationships.
Athletes have full ownership of their data and can choose whether to share with WNBA teams. Cameron Brink, recovering from ACL tear, used Springbok's AI-powered MRI scans: "Once you have a big injury, you want to optimize everything, so all these tools really help." Paige Bueckers: "The data goes a long way in basketball." The league is collecting baseline metrics for every player to understand 3-on-3 demands and develop targeted training and recovery protocols. Read More
Head Powerlifting Coach / Assistant Strength Coach
Cumberland University | view
Player Development S&C Coach
Upgrade to Morning Rep Pro and get access to the Career Hub
Track job opportunities. Stay certified. Stay ahead.
