ASU Law sports law and business program students accepted into NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar

Six future sports industry leaders with the Allan “Bud” Selig Sports Law and Business program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University were accepted into the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar. Part of the Master of Sports Law and Business (MSLB) program, Allison McFarling, Erin Oliphant, Ethan Good, Evan Singletary, Heather Udowitch and Lucy Reed will be attending the prestigious seminar.  

The seminar, which will take place virtually from Feb. 3–5, is a professional development event that provides leadership, educational and transitional programming for current graduate assistants and interns from NCAA member schools, conference offices and affiliate organizations. While ASU Law is no stranger to sending exceptional students to attend the seminar, this year marks the first time that six of the college’s MSLB students were chosen to participate.

“I am so proud of our students and I am grateful to the NCAA Leadership Development team for affording them this opportunity,” said program Director Aaron Hernandez. “The Emerging Leaders Seminar is a nationally renowned event and the application process is extremely competitive. Having six students representing our program showcases the value of the SLB experience and how committed our students are to a career in athletics. They truly are ‘emerging leaders’ in the sports industry.”

Singletary, a former track and field student-athlete and previous Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president from the University of California, Irvine, is a graduate assistant for the Selig SLB program.

“The NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar is a prime opportunity to gain valuable insight on the inner workings of college athletics,” Singletary said. “I am excited to bring what I learn back to ASU and into future roles.”

The NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar is designed to educate, develop and connect participants, and help provide them with the skills necessary to accelerate their career progression in college sports.

Oliphant, a former swimming student-athlete and previous SAAC member from the University of the Pacific, wants to become a swimming coach at the collegiate level. “I am really looking forward to connecting and talking with others who aspire to be college coaches,” she said.

Reed, a former field hockey student-athlete and SAAC vice president from Temple University and current compliance intern and academic mentor for Sun Devil Athletics, said that she was introduced to the Emerging Leaders Seminar early in her student-athlete career.

“In 2018, I was lucky enough to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum and was introduced to the possibility of attending ELS down the road within our career paths,” Reed said. “It’s been a goal of mine to attend this program and I am extremely excited to have the opportunity.”

Good, a former basketball student-athlete from Bowling Green State University, also was introduced to the seminar during his undergraduate days.

“I decided to apply to Emerging Leaders because of the NCAA's track record with leadership programming,” Good said. “I have been privileged enough to be a part of the Career in Sports Seminar as well as the Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. The NCAA’s Leadership Development branch always creates engaging activities and provides influential speakers that never miss. I have no doubts this event will follow suit and I am excited because of it."

Good, a graduate assistant for the Selig SLB program, is the current chair of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well as chair of the Mid-Atlantic Conference Council of Student-Athletes.

The program will feature presentations from prominent industry experts and will offer breakout presentations and panels where participants can explore potential career avenues within their areas of interest.

McFarling, who earned her undergraduate degree from ASU, is a graduate assistant for Sun Devil Athletics.

“I am most excited about learning from professionals in this industry who will give us valuable tools and lessons to carry with us throughout our future,” McFarling said. “Sessions such as ’Crucial Conversations’ and ’To the Core’ are ones that I am thrilled to participate in to grow as a professional and overall as a person.”

Udowitch, a former ASU gymnastics student-athlete and Pac-12 Conference Student-Athlete Leadership Team representative, is a graduate assistant for Sun Devil Athletics.

“I am most excited about the networking opportunities with fellow attendees and industry professionals in this seminar,” Udowitch said. “In the past, I have attended the NCAA’s Career in Sports Forum and was able to meet numerous like-minded individuals that I continue to speak with today, and I am looking forward to similar opportunities at Emerging Leaders.”

After earning her master’s degree, Udowitch will be attending ASU Law for her JD starting in fall 2021.