Current Masters Students
Alissa zeitelhack, BS, CSCS
Alissa completed her BS in Exercise Science and Sports Performance with a minor in Engineering Physics at McKendree University in 2020. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Biokinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Science. Her research and career interests include the utilization of biomechanical and physiological analyses to characterize injury risk and performance in athletic populations. She is currently involved in the Clinical Biomechanics Orthopedic and Sports Outcomes Research (COOR) Lab and its PAC-12 funded research study exploring modifiable physical factors that may reduce UCL injury risk in baseball pitchers. She is also working as a Biomechanics Lab Assistant at the Meyer Institute of Sport, where she is conducting athlete and patient assessments to give insight to rehabilitation and performance efforts.
Jasmin strong, bs
Jasmin received her Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences from Cornell University, where she concentrated in Genetics, Genomics, and Development with a minor in Nutrition and Health. She is currently in her second year of the Sports Science Masters program. Her research interests lie in the lower extremities and delving into the mechanics leading to an injury as well as the subsequent biomechanics after an injury. She also has an interest in the genetics of an athlete and exercise impact on gene expression.
Jason cherin, bs
Jason received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Rochester in 2019. He is currently in his second year of the Sports Science Masters program. His research interests are centered around lower extremity biomechanics and utilizing innovative technology to improve athletic performance and enhance return to play protocol for individuals after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Jason currently holds a position as a research assistant in the Human Performance Laboratory and is working on his project that includes the validation of joint kinematics and kinetics using Theia3D markerless and Qualysis marker-based 3D motion capture technology. He also works as a Biomechanics Lab Assistant at the Meyer Institute of Sport, where he conducts functional and pitching assessments for athlete and patient populations.
Brady mccormick, bS, cscs
Brady received his Bachelors of Science in Exercise and Sports Science from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and is currently in his second year in the Sports Science Masters program. His interests include in-situ testing for athletic performance along with data analytics to collaborate across Strength & Conditioning, Athletic Medicine, and Nutrition.
Ivana petergacova, bs
Ivana received her Bachelor of Arts in Chinese from UCLA in spring 2017. She is currently completing her second year of the Masters in Sports Science program. As a national level athlete in softball, Ivana comes from a highly competitive background which she wants to use in the field of sports science. Her area of interest is in combining sport science methods with strength & conditioning training to identify and improve the short-comings of a given athlete’s present capability. With this, she can integrate the use of technology to better track and assess the athlete’s progress in order to efficiently enhance performance.
Alec Roig, bs
Alec received his Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Minor in Computer Science from Boston University in the spring of 2020. He is currently completing his second year as a Masters student in the Biokinesiology (Sports Science) program. His research interests are centered around how we can use wearable technology or other engineering-based solutions to correct irregular movement in populations with degenerative diseases.
Shannon rock, bs
Shannon is currently in her second year of the Biokinesiology Masters program with an emphasis in Sports Science. She received her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Shannon currently works at Movement Performance Institute administering tests such as gait and running analyses, return to sport evaluations, and strength tests that use analysis softwares and force plate data. Her research interests include injury prevention and post injury biomechanics of the lower extremities.
Nathan archer, Ms, cscs*D
Nathan received his M.S. in Kinesiology at The University of Wisconsin in 2020, and is in his second year of the Masters in Sports Science at USC. One of his research studies focused on developing more appropriate performance tests for hockey players and collected data during the LA Kings developmental camp. Nathan is also working with a startup company to develop a study aiming to use resisted sprint training to increase acceleration and peak velocity in sprint performance.
Sylvia Baeyens, BS
Sylvia received her Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and is currently in her second year in the Sports Science Masters program. Her research interests include injury biomechanics in the lower extremities, stress and overuse injuries, and the physical effects of exercise on female athletes, including RED-S and stress fractures.
Jerry Lin, MS
Jerry received his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Taiwan Tech and is pursuing a Master of Science in Biokinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Science. He currently works as an applied sports science intern for the USC Football. His career interests are centered around the sports biomechanics and the utilization of strength & conditioning training and engineering approaches to enhance athletic performance.
Alexis medrano, bs
Alexis received her Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Science from California State University Long Beach. While at CSULB she competed for the Track and Field team and was part of the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) research program funded by the NIH. Alexis is currently in her second year in the Biokinesiology Masters Program with an emphasis in Sports Science. Her current research interests include the biomechanics behind lower extremity injuries, common injuries found in track athletes and herbal supplementation's physiological effects on performance.
Bailey McLagan, BA
Bailey received her Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Physiology with a Minor in Business from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is in her first year of her Sports Science Master's at USC where she hopes to focus on exercise physiology. Her research interests include physiologic analysis in the prevention of overtraining in athletes, and the application of physiological and biomechanical analyses to maximize athlete performance.
Janet Salazar, BS
Janet Salazar received her Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from California State University of Long Beach and is currently in her first year in the Biokinesiology Sports Science Masters program. Her research interests are centered around the clinical aspects of exercise physiology and biomechanics.
Julienne Sauer, BS, ATC
Julienne received her Bachelors in Science at The Ohio State University in Athletic Training. She is currently pursuing her Master’s of Science in Biokinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Science. Her research and career interests include sports performance and injury rehabilitation, with the ultimate goal of working at a sport performance training gym. Currently, she is assisting with research on patellar tendon macro and micro morphology post ACL reconstruction.
Nicholas Vu, BS
Nicholas received his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Sciences from University of California, Irvine in 2020 and is currently in his first year of the Sports Science Masters program. His current research interests include the sports neuroscience/physiology of concussion and its long-term effects on the brain, common sports injuries such as ACL tears and Achilles tendon ruptures, and the effects of footwear in sports. He plans to apply to medical school after the program to achieve his career goal of becoming a sports medicine physician for a professional sports team.
Sofia Chambers, BS
Sofia received her Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon. While at the UO, she competed in all four years on the DI Women’s Soccer Team and named Captain in her final two seasons. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Biokinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Science. In her first year, Sofia is working with the USC Women’s Soccer team helping the Sports Science Team in collecting and analyzing Catapult Data as well as a consultant technician for Orreco, a global leader in sports biotechnology who provides biomarker testing services for elite athletes.
Kymani Joachim
Kymani Joachim has spent his undergraduate years at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, where he got his BA in Kinesiology and graduated Valedictorian of his graduating 2021 class. Now, as he continues his academic journey, Mr. Joachim attends the Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy Master's Program at USC. After his Master's Program, Kymani aims to get his Doctor in Physical Therapy, in hopes to carry out his goal of becoming a Sports Physical Therapist for a professional sports team.
Travis Craven
Travis completed his undergraduate work this previous spring at Whitman College, where he earned his B.A. in Biology. He is incredibly passionate about sports performance and helping athletes optimize their training. Travis is interested in exploring shoulder and elbow movement in overhead athletes in order to maximize performance and injury prevention. Travis is looking forward to getting involved in the Clinical Biomechanics Orthopedic and Sports Outcomes Research (COOR) Lab with Dr. Michener and her team.