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Get to Know our Sports Science Students

 Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
A 25 pound weight sitting in a gym on a machine.

Meet our current students in the Master of Science in Sports Science program. They come from a variety of places, backgrounds and all bring a special perspective to the program. Find out what they are doing in their internships and what they love most about their time at Pitt! 

A man with short auburn hair and a beard wearing a black t-shirt and black shorts while carrying a little girl on his back who has brown hair and is wearing a white shirt and jeans.

Tyler Diaz (MS’ 23)

  • Hometown: Pennsauken, New Jersey 
  • Undergraduate Degree: Health and Exercise Science, with a concentration in Health Promotion and Wellness Management 
  • Internship Experience: Pitt Baseball and Softball – Diaz is testing and tracking pitch velocity and grip strength to monitor progress. Also, he is using data to compare Pitt players to the professionals in their respective positions. 
  • Fun Facts: Diaz is a die-hard Philly sports fan. He loves to dance, sing and play the ukulele. His goal for the future is to become a head coach for a professional team or become a strength coach/sports scientist for Special Olympics athletes. 
  • Favorite part of the program: He likes forming bonds and relationships with the players and staff and having hands-on practical experience in the sports science realm.
A man with short brown hair wearing a dark blue shirt that says "Tampa Bay Rays" on it.

Jordan Reyes (MS’ 23)

  • Hometown: Auburn, Alabama 
  • Undergraduate Degree: Kinesiology 
  • Internship Experience: Pitt Football – Reyes is working on data collection and analysis using cutting-edge technology such as the Catapult and Hawkin Dynamics force plates. 
  • Fun Fact: Pittsburgh winters are the coldest he has ever experienced. 
  • Favorite part of the program: The applied experience with the academic course load. The program does a great job of integrating skills and education that are essential for a sport scientist.
A woman with dark brown hair in a braid wearing a blue Pitt soccer tank top, blue shorts and blue socks while on a soccer field.

Emily Harrigan (MS’ 23)

  • Hometown: North Huntington, Pennsylvania 
  • Undergraduate Degree: Health Services 
  • Internship Experience: Pitt Swimming and Diving – Harrigan helps collect Hawkin Dynamics force plate data and assists with any additional testing to help monitor and optimize athletic performance. 
  • Fun Facts: Harrigan played four years of Division I soccer including three years at Rutgers University and the other at the University of Pittsburgh. 
  • Favorite part of the program: She enjoys the opportunity to work with different types of technology to gain experience in the field. 

Want to see more and hear from more students? Read Part 1 here