club sports

Zaakir Khan interned with Old Glory DC on their playoff run

sbrown79 — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:56:01 +0000

Zaakir Khan interned with Old Glory DC on their playoff run sbrown79 Mon, 08/17/2026 - 11:56

As a defenseman on 911��’s ice hockey team, rising senior Zaakir Khan knows a thing or two about team sports. But for a recent internship, he stepped off the ice—and out of his comfort zone.

“I've never watched rugby in my entire life, but I just went in determined to learn and figure it out,” said Khan, who spent the summer as an intern for Major League Rugby (MLR) team Old Glory DC, assisting the team as they made their way to the playoffs.

Khan, who is majoring in computational and data sciences in the College of Science, learned how a professional sports organization works, attending the team’s training camps and practices, observing and organizing drills, filming and cutting clips, and breaking down analytics.

Zaakir Khan (right) with an Old Glory Rugby colleague. Photo provided.

“They introduced me to the app, Huddle Sports Code, so I would film parts of the practice, cut clips, and then organize them for the players and coaches to see where they’re succeeding and what they could work on in the future,” Khan said.

The team practiced twice a day, often on 911��’s Fairfax Campus, and was split into two groups: the forwards and the backs.

“The coaches asked me to keep track of game scores and drop balls. I was also able to fly a drone, which was awesome and gave us a nice bird's eye view of the field,” said Khan. “It was a really cool progression from just observing to reporting the whole practice on my own.”

During actual games, there was a bit more pressure.

“I helped set up a computer for our medical tent to re-watch any concussions that potentially happened,” said Khan. “The cameras covered different angles so if any MLR players are injured with a concussion, for example, they go straight to the tent, and medical personnel look on the computer and review the hit to see how egregious it was.”

But Khan’s favorite spot, by far, was the coach’s box. "It was super unbelievable being in that environment and helping to live code the game.” Live coding, Khan explained, involved creating a real-time Excel sheet with all the relevant game statistics.

“Statistics tell a story and the coaches needed those stats—penalties, drops, turnovers—on the fly. With live coding, I was able to get that information to them as quickly as possible,” Khan said. “The sooner you can get this information, the better, but it also has to be accurate because those numbers turned into halftime stats and game reports."

Khan uses the app, Huddle Sports Code, for his internship with Old Glory Rugby. Photo provided.

He credits Craig Esherick, his SPMT 201 Introduction to Sports Management professor with helping him get the internship.

“Professor Esherick was kind enough to help me get my foot into the door,” said Khan, who is working on a minor in sports management. “I got a meeting with the head of the team’s sports analytics department who invited me on for the season.”

“I was very impressed with how quickly Zaakir learned about rugby and the league. It was a lot to learn in a short amount of time,” said Esherick, a professor and the chair of the Sport Management Program in 911��’s College of Education and Human Development. “He developed great relationships with the players and the staff with Old Glory and became an important part of their team this season.”

Although Old Glory’s season ended at the playoffs, Khan didn’t let that stop his momentum. He is currently a data science intern at Peraton, a national security and technology company.

“I’m learning how data, data quality, and data hygiene work. I’m hoping to use this knowledge and transition it into sports analytics after I graduate. I’d say both internships as well as 911�� have really prepared me for that,” Khan said.

Advance your career with an internship at 911��

Topics

College of Science

College of Education and Human Development

From rugby pitch to classroom, this Patriot is redefining what success means to him

ckearney — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 16:53:54 +0000

From rugby pitch to classroom, this Patriot is redefining what success means to him ckearney Mon, 12/08/2025 - 11:53

At 26, Max Dacey enrolled at 911�� with a singular goal: to earn his degree quickly and better support his family. A former competitive rugby player, he didn’t imagine a traditional college experience. His plan was to take classes, stay focused, “get the paper, and get out,” he said.

However, a year and a half later, the public relations major from Alexandria, Virginia, is graduating with far more than he expected: new confidence, a renewed sense of purpose, and a community that shaped the way he sees himself as a student, coach, and leader.

Fitting in as a contemporary student

Dacey’s decision to enroll was guided by a mentor from his hometown—a 911�� alum who urged him to return to school and reconnect with the university’s rugby program.

Once he entered the classroom, the sense of belonging broadened. “In my first class, a lot of students were above the age of 23 and talked about who they were outside of class,” he said. “I immediately felt like part of a community. The professors cared about my opinion, which was uplifting.”

Over time, Dacey uncovered strengths he hadn’t seen in himself. “I did not know that my critical analysis was as good as it is,” he said. In a rhetoric course last spring, his professor noted how consistently he identified metaphors and underlying connections—insights he hadn’t even realized he was making.

Max Dacey (far right) with the rugby team. Photo provided

Returning to school also gave him something he hadn’t had in his professional life: time to pause, think, and dig deeply into ideas. 911��’s classroom environment offered the space to stretch intellectually and write about what mattered to him. One of his favorite assignments was a critical analysis of The Lord of the Rings, a series he has loved for years. Approaching it from a scholarly angle, dissecting its metaphors, themes, and world-building, was “challenging and energizing,” he said.

That shift, he realized, was transformative. It wasn’t simply about meeting degree requirements; it was about learning to think hard, ask questions, and make connections.

Coaching, leadership, and community

Throughout his student experience, rugby remained his anchor. Dacey first joined the club sports program as an assistant coach, eventually stepping into the head coach role. Leading teammates close to his age brought complexity along with humor.

“I didn't like being called ‘coach,’” he said with a laugh. “I joked with them, ‘I’m teaching you rugby because that’s what I’m good at. But if you tutor me in a class, I’m not calling you Coach —we’re peers.”

Max Dacey. Photo by Andani Munkaila/Office of University Branding

Coaching is one of his proudest accomplishments and has guided his journey in developing leadership skills. “My time at 911�� as head coach,” he said, “has given me a chance to better myself outside the classroom and lead my peers in the sport I love.”

Charting his own path

As graduation approaches, Dacey is exploring his next steps with intention, looking for opportunities that align with both his public relations training and leadership experience.

Success, to him, is deeply individual. “Success means achieving your goals in a way that you’re proud of,” he said. “Everyone has different aspirations and methods. Accomplishing them in your own way is success.”

His advice to other 911�� students, especially those returning to campus after time away, is grounded in his own experience. “Make as many connections as possible, attend every networking event, and have confidence in yourself,” he said. “The more you put yourself out there, the more confidence you’ll have. You’ll surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.”

Winter 2025 Commencement

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Graduation

Winter Commencement

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

club sports

Students

A sport for everyone: 911�� Ice Hockey Club builds lasting connections with the community

sholla4 — Wed, 15 May 2024 15:05:14 +0000

A sport for everyone: 911�� Ice Hockey Club builds lasting connections with the community sholla4 Wed, 05/15/2024 - 11:05

Andrew Nash, BS in Sports Management ’17, MS in Sports Management ’18, has played a lot of sports in his lifetime. Nothing, he says, is like hockey.

Andrew Nash, left, on the ice at the annual charity game. Photo by Matt Ricciardi

“Maybe it’s the travel, or the difficulty of the sport, but it really bonds you together like no other sport I’ve played,” Nash said. “The sense of community is stronger than I ever felt.”

Community is the foundation of the 911�� Ice Hockey Club, a philosophy that extends beyond the barriers of the rink and past the stadium’s aluminum bleachers. In partnership with the Washington Capitals and Prince William County, 911�� Ice Hockey is working to expand access to hockey through an outdoor ball hockey rink right next to their home ice in Prince William Ice Center.

While a fantastic sport, ice hockey can be inaccessible. Players need access to an ice rink and need to be able to skate adeptly; they need full-body padding and a means to transport and care for that equipment; they need to be able to pay club fees, rink fees, and travel fees.

However, ball hockey—also called street hockey—opens the door to opportunity. Players only need sneakers, a stick, and a ball, and you’re ready to play.

“Ball hockey is a fantastic way to expand access to ice hockey,” said Steve Hyjek, former head coach of the 911�� Hockey Club. “It gives more people the opportunity to try the sport, to love the sport, and to become future players or fans.”

Hyjek, who retired from his role as head coach this year at the team’s 2024 charity game, wanted his players to be active and engaged citizens, giving back to their communities long after their time at 911�� has ended.

The annual charity game is one component of that. Prior to the game, for example, players meet with the people for whom they’re fundraising. “I want them to understand who they’re helping, and why we’re helping them,” Hyjek said. “It makes them feel more connected to the cause, and to the community that supports them, but it also makes this act of giving back almost like a muscle memory. So when they graduate, they keep doing it.”

This philosophy is one that has shaped his players’ careers.

During his junior year, Nash got an internship at the Washington Capitals thanks to Hyjek and the other coaches’ connections. Nash has worked for the Capitals ever since, now as the manager for youth hockey development. His job is expanding accessibility of hockey to the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland community, through off-ice clinics in the form of ball and inline hockey.

“There will always be people who can’t afford to play ice hockey, or for whom an ice rink is too far from them to make regular games and practices feasible, but we don’t want to push them aside and say, ‘you can’t afford it, you’re not close to a rink, so you don’t matter,’ ” Nash said. “The hope with these workshops is that we show kids and families that there are alternatives, and further develop a community for the Capitals through increased interest in the sport.

“Without the community,’ Nash said, “there is no team.”

Steve Hyjek at his final charity game as head coach. Photo by Matt Ricciardi

Mae Whitesides, BA Criminology, Law and Society ’19, managed the team’s social media and website during her time at 911��. Like Nash, her time in 911�� hockey opened the doors for a career in sports with the Washington Capitals marketing department and, more recently, social media for MLB Network and NHL Network. The dedication to supporting each other and the community was, she said, one of her fondest memories from her time at 911��.

“The charity game my senior year was standing room only,” she said. “We would not be who we are today if not for that support from the community, and the work people like Steve put into building up our team.”

Hyjek agreed. “When you expand the community of folks who are playing the game or who are interested in the game, it helps the sport. For us, we hope that our work brings more players interested in 911�� and Mason Hockey, or even just more fans.”

This hypothesis has already proven to be true: After spending the day at a local elementary school, teaching kids how to play ball hockey, he’s seen some of those students in the stands of their games, as well as at Learn to Skate clinics. With the new ball hockey rink, he hopes that interest will continue to grow, not just in hockey but in 911�� as well.

“You’re planting seeds,” Hyjek said. “Planting seeds so that 911�� can be on their list when the time comes.”

Hit the ice with 911�� Ice Hockey Club

Find your team with 911�� club sports

Topics

911�� Ice Hockey Club

School of Sport Recreation and Tourism Management

College of Education and Human Development

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

club sports

inclusive excellence

Research says club sports are Mason’s untapped resource

ckearney — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 18:22:08 +0000

Research says club sports are Mason’s untapped resource ckearney Wed, 09/28/2022 - 14:22

Participation in club sports is a significant factor in bringing in and maintaining students at 911��, and also contributes to higher graduation rates, a new study has found.

Zikun Li. Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

The research, by Mason PhD student Zikun Li, also found that as an engine for recruiting students, club sports could be added to Mason’s broader admissions and marketing strategies.

“These findings enhance the understanding of club sports and its broader impact on the university,” Li said. “Maybe it will inspire other universities to do some comparative studies.”

Li, who is in the interdisciplinary specialization program through the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), began the study in December 2021 after a request from Paul Bazzano, assistant director of competitive sports, camps, and athletic training at Mason Recreation.

Laurence Chalip, a CEHD professor, a member of Mason’s Recreation Advisory Board, and Li’s advisor, asked his students if anyone was interested. Li was all in, even though the subject was not exactly in her program concentration of sport for development.

In that way, Li embodies Mason’s goal of delivering All Together Different by acting with confidence while trying something unconventional that challenges the status quo.

“As a novice scholar, I appreciate the interconnectedness among disciplines,” said Li, who earned her undergraduate degree in her native China and her master’s at the University of Michigan. “Because of Mason’s interdisciplinary program I have been able to take courses outside the sports area, which gives me a refreshing way to look at it. I’m able to see sports in a broader way.”

“Zikun is deeply interested in the ways in which sport is used effectively and ineffectively for development purposes,” Chalip said. “But clearly, when you work in the policy world, economics matter. Policymakers want to know what the numbers look like. So to develop the kind of skills that will enable her to work in the policy world—understanding how to collect data, and analyzing and thinking through financial data—is really vital. So it made great sense.”

Mason's men's ice hockey team was among the club sports that scored high in terms of players choosing Mason to participate in the sport. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communications

Li surveyed 425 undergraduate club sports athletes during the 2021-22 academic year. The data were eye-opening.

For example ...

The aggregate spending by undergraduate club sports athletes at Mason in the 2021-22 academic year—including tuition, campus fees, campus housing, food, Mason gear, study-related supplies, parking, and health insurance through the university, minus financial aid—is estimated at more than $21 million.
Athletes agreed that playing club sports factored into their decision to attend and stay enrolled at Mason, and their decision to recommend the university to potential students. Those participating in men’s ice hockey and men’s football (both of which actively recruit athletes to attend Mason), were especially strong on those scores, with 92.3% of football players and 100% of hockey players saying their participation is a factor in remaining at Mason.
Students who participate in club sports as freshmen, even if they did not participate as sophomores, graduated at a significantly higher rate than the overall undergraduate student body: 76% to 70.1% for six-year graduates; 66% to 65.7% for five-year graduates; 54% to 47.4% for four-year graduates.

Why is this information important?

“Our goal was to gather information for us to make the best decisions moving forward as a department and a university,” Bazzano said. “Is recruiting an opportunity for some of our other clubs? Is recruitment something that can differentiate ourselves from other universities?”

There is also a financial consideration, Bazzano said.

“Is there any way we can restructure to support those programs, to lower the barriers of student participants funding them?” he said. “The focus is on how we can reimagine our budget and restructure what we’re doing.”

Andrew Bunting, Mason’s executive director of enrollment services, also found Li’s research useful.

“Her work is certainly research of consequence and can have a direct impact on the way the Mason markets itself to prospective students,” Bunting said. “Zikun’s findings help us to better understand the various and often very personalized factors that motivate students to apply, enroll, and persist at the university.”

Li, who plans to graduate by the end of 2023 and hopes to turn the research into a publishable paper, said the research experience will benefit her eventual search for a faculty position.

“This study not only generated my interest in continuously understanding club sports, but also enhanced my data analysis skills,” Li said. “To do some hands-on analysis really gave me confidence to do more quantitative research in the future.”