Equipped to Lead and Succeed

Student’s Spirit, Program Drives Her To Career In Collegiate Athletics

Blending a competitive spirit and a passion for a career in collegiate athletics, Southern California native Lindsey Webster (‘17) found in USF’s Sport Management graduate program an environment conducive to success.

Compliance

After graduating from UMass with a double major in Journalism (with a concentration in sport) and Communication, she returned home to the San Fernando Valley to further her education while working full-time in athletic compliance at California State University at Northridge.

Working in collegiate athletics, specifically in Compliance, Webster has a hand in helping student-athletes maintain eligibility and avoid violations, and monitoring the recruiting process.

“It’s kind of like coaching — I help make them better,” said Webster. “If a baseball player had an eligibility issue, and I helped resolve it so he could play in his game that day, then I helped him make an impact for his team. It’s a great moment.”

Competitive Environment

Webster was, herself, a student-athlete not so long ago. She understands the competitive nature of collegiate sports. At the University of Massachusetts she started four years on the university’s softball team, claiming a captaincy her senior year. Her coach, Elaine Sortino, was a National Fast Pitch Hall of Fame inductee. She had a saying that Webster has taken to heart, on the diamond and beyond, as she transitions into collegiate administration: “Every single day you need to strive to get one to five percent better.”

“I use that philosophy in my everyday life,” Webster said.

The competitive nature of working in collegiate athletics is something that really resonates with Webster, as well as being able to make an impact on the lives of student-athletes.

I want to be in an environment everyday where people come to work to win, to battle, and they are happy to do their job."

“Athletics has a competitive nature," Webster said, "which is perfect for me — my personality and my personal goals.”

Being able to make a difference, have a lasting impact and be a positive force in the lives of others, hard work, and passion are all focal points of USF, from its motto down to its core principles. As she strives toward her ultimate goal of working in higher Division I Athletic Administration, Webster is already impacting the lives of student-athletes and making great strides toward fulfilling her dream.

The Sport Management program has campuses in San Francisco and Orange County.