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Get to Know Dr. Kurt DeGoede; Elizabethtown Faculty Athletics Representative

TOWSON, Md. – The Landmark Conference is proud to spotlight the leaders shaping the student-athlete experience across our campuses. This month’s feature highlights Dr. Kurt DeGoede, Faculty Athletics Representative at Elizabethtown College. From fostering student wellness and belonging to combining biomechanics research with athletics, Dr. DeGoede shares insight into his role and the impact he has on the campus community.

What’s your favorite part of the DIII experience?
Athletics focused on the joy of competing and the development of our student athletes as emerging professionals in their fields of study.

Who’s had the biggest impact on your professional journey
My PhD advisor is Dr. James Ashton-Miller. James is an inspiration for cultivating an incessant curiosity and a mindset to solve problems.

How does your department prioritize wellness and belonging?
We are definitely focused on student well-being in all that we do, in the classroom and on the field. We work well as a team in our engineering program, and my colleagues are also good friends. We get to know our students closely and stay alert to their wellness and connection to the broader community.

What makes your athletic community unique?
In Engineering at Etown, over 40% of our students are NCAA athletes.

How do you collaborate with coaches/staff across campus?
My research area is in biomechanics, and I am working to build a collaborative hub for student-athlete-led human performance analyses and research. I have worked with students over the past several years on running mechanics, optimizing sprint starts, and impact forces in running. I am on sabbatical in the spring and am looking to expand on these efforts to link more directly with coaches, trainers, faculty in Exercise Science, and our clinical Human Performance Lab.

Fun fact about you outside of athletics?
I took up the tenor sax during COVID and now play with the college jazz band.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
Prioritize opportunities for connecting with others professionally and personally.

If you weren’t in athletics, what would you be doing?
As Professor of Engineering, perhaps I can pivot more toward athletics and dream of being a biomechanist for the Detroit Tigers.