Assistant Athletic Director Amanda Snodgrass is starting a new organization called the Women’s Leadership Circle to provide female, junior athletes the opportunity to build relationships and to create a new culture within the women’s athletic teams. 

Snodgrass said she saw there were something missing for the women’s teams and wanted to do something about it. She plans to bring unity and leadership, by collaborating with each other on how to be more effective leaders within their teams. 

At the first meeting Jan. 30, Imani Morlock, kinesiology junior and soccer player, and Sarah Eakin, nursing junior and volleyball player, with 16 other women athletes gathered around and discussed how to take their teams to the next level, starting with leadership.

“Leadership is a reflection of your team,” Morlock said.

Morlock said she believes that this circle will help bring that missing piece and make the team stronger. 

Eakin agreed that leadership is a strong component of a team, as well. 

“I loved interacting with women from other sports that I’ve seen before but have never been introduced to. I’m excited about the enlightenment this program offers and what we can transfer over, as leaders, to share with our teams in order to be successful,” Eakin said. 

Director of Athletics Kyle Williams said he wanted to give women athletics another foot in the door and opportunity to be successful.

“With the role of the women’s athletes and athletics on this campus, and how important it is for us to continue to make sure that not just as athletes on the court or field [but in] life [that they succeed], thats where life skills come in. We want you all to succeed, whatever that definition is,” Williams said.

Snodgrass describes a leader as having passion, integrity and being communicative. She has been a part of athletics for 17 years. As, she has been on both sides, player and coach, she is really able to connect and provide resources to help the girls. 

There has not been a leadership circle established for the male athletes but is “yet to come”, Williams said.

As the leadership circle kicks off, there are plans underway to bring career management leaders and a luncheon with a guest speaker for all the women’s teams at the end of the semester.