Omaha Athletics Unveils New Operations Supporting Holistic Development of Maverick Student-Athletes

For a closer look at the new facilities and fueling stations mentioned below, view the OMAVS Photo Gallery.

Omaha Athletics has unveiled several new operations that will further support the holistic development of Maverick student-athletes. These initiatives will focus on physical and mental health, nutrition, performance and recovery.

"The holistic development and support of our student-athletes will always be our top priority," said Adrian Dowell Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics. "As an organization, we are focused on making impactful progress in equipping Mavericks with the tools to be healthy and competitively successful."

This academic year, Omaha Athletics announced a new comprehensive medical partnership with OrthoNebraska, the state's largest orthopedic and musculoskeletal provider, which commenced a new era of student-athlete well-being at Omaha Athletics.

With a heightened focus on student-athletes' needs and to proactively adhere to the new NCAA Division I holistic student-athlete model, Omaha Athletics has established goals to facilitate an environment that reinforces the priority of mental health in addition to physical health within athletics.

In pursuit of these goals, Omaha Athletics is on-boarding a new sports psychologist and a licensed mental health provider position to help Maverick student-athletes improve their performance and mental wellness during and outside of competition.These licensed professionals will work with student-athletes who have mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety. They will also provide expertise to athletes, coaches and teams who seek a competitive edge on the playing surface.

"At Omaha Athletics we are committed to looking at ways to prevent, treat, and optimize performance," said Senior Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Performance, Taryn Ninemire. "We are excited to add additional support services for our student-athletes to achieve optimal mental, emotional and physical health."

From a physical wellness standpoint, a sports nutritionist will also be joining Omaha Athletics. This expert will facilitate overall education to student-athletes and coaches to optimize fueling and hydration strategies, which will promote peak performance and injury prevention.

Additionally, recently the Sports Performance department of Omaha Athletics has successfully added three Ph.D. fellowships in sports science with the assistance of UNO's Kinesiology and Biomechanics academic departments. This allows the interdisciplinary performance team to enhance their ability to make clinical decisions to best serve student-athletes.

Along with personnel upgrades, Omaha Athletics continues to invest in facility upgrades focused on providing athletes with adequate resources to keep up with the demands of their sport. This includes a fueling station housed in Sapp Fieldhouse which will plays a vital role in providing proper nutrition and hydration following workouts, practices and games.

Female student-athletes also now have improved access to making healthy food options and properly fueling their bodies with the addition of our women's nutrition table at Scott Village. This provides an additional piece to the overall care of the student-athlete.

"Having direct access to mental health and nutritional care is a huge step in bettering Omaha Athletics. Being equipped with these resources will have a lasting impact for current athletes and those who are yet to come," said Omaha Softball catcher, Sydney Ross. "I'm grateful to be able to experience all the development beginning to take place and I'm excited to see what the future holds."

Performance recovery has also been recently integrated as student-athletes are able to utilize a designated room equipped with state-of-the-art tools like Normatec Compression Systems and Hypervolt guns and wraps to aid injury prevention and more efficient recuperation.

"The athletic program at UNO has taken many positive steps in helping our athletes be the healthiest versions of ourselves possible," said Omaha Hockey captain Nolan Sullivan. "Through the addition of recovery equipment, a nutritionist, and mental health professionals, we are leading the way in prioritizing the well-being of our elite athletes in Omaha. I'm incredibly proud of the efforts being put in by all staff involved and could not be more excited for my final year as a Maverick."

For a closer look at these new facilities and fueling stations, take a look through the OMAVS Photo Gallery.