Posted on Friday, February 10, 2023
Competition runs through the veins of senior student-athlete Kirsten Boyd. With extensive experience working at professional sporting events through the LC Sports Management Club, she beat out 300 applicants for a social media position at the New York headquarters of Major League Soccer.
“During the interview process, the hiring manager said, ‘You have done more than people who have been in this position for 20 years,’” she said.
A Sports Management and Spanish double major from Alabaster, Alabama, Boyd interned as a social media strategist for Sideline Sports Network in Brooklyn, New York. She also worked with her fellow LC club members at competitions for the National Basketball Association, National Football League and Major League Soccer. Boyd said one of her favorite events was last year’s Final Four basketball tournament in New Orleans.
“At the Final Four, I had the chance to go underneath the stadium at Caesars Superdome because of my connections,” she said. “It was fun to hang out below the stadium and meet the people working with graphic design and building things for VIP rooms.”
She said she learned about networking from the Sports Management Club.
“The student organization taught me that it is not what you know but who you know,” Boyd said. “On paper, experiences are great but being able to connect with people is just as important. It means a lot to me that I have mentors in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League.”
Associate Sports Management Professor Dr. Clay Bolton, who started teaching Boyd in August, said she is an example of hard work and dedication.
“Kirsten is in the rare place of being in the top one percent of all students in sports management that I have seen in all my years in higher education,” he said. “Kirsten has made the most of all her opportunities both on and off campus. She is joining Major League Soccer at a time when it is exploding, and I see no ceiling for her career.”
Boyd, who starts her new MLS position after graduation in May, said she will be on the organization’s social media content team.
“I will be working on media and digital marketing for the league office and traveling to different states and seeing how different teams organize their social media platforms,” she said. “This includes making content such as Instagram reels, TikToks, Instagram posts and pushing the MLS brand to be more personable with newer fans.”
Having a job at the headquarters of Major League Soccer is a perfect fit for Boyd, who started playing the game at the age of 5.
“I love the fact that it is a world game that brings everyone together,” she said. “Also, since I am studying Spanish, working in soccer brings great opportunities to travel.”
Boyd did not limit herself to one sport. At the age of 9, she picked up volleyball. After playing volleyball through her junior year at LC, she decided to try her hand at tennis.
“Kirsten is a fierce competitor,” said Head Tennis Coach Drew Cantrell. “She picked up tennis very late in her collegiate career but has made up for lost time with a tenacious work ethic. She went from not ever having played to our number two player in a very short amount of time. She gets to practice early and is always the last player to leave.”
At the college, Boyd is the president and social media chair of the Sports Management Club and the vice president of business honor society Delta Mu Delta.
Associate Management and International Business Professor Dr. Linda McMullen, who is Boyd’s advisor, said the senior has always had a “full steam ahead” desire to excel.
“She has a work ethic that means she does not shortcut assignments, whether working independently or on a team with her peers,” Dr. McMullen said.
The Business Department Chair explained how the program benefits students like Kirsten.
“We have small classes that allow us to really know our students, which means we know with whom to recommend internships and interviews for possible career opportunities,” Dr. McMullen said. “Our hands-on, applied focus keeps the emphasis on real-world problems and issues, so that students are fully prepared to enter the workplace.”
present their research on the Okefenokee Swamp, a candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. They compared the 45 economies of World Heritage site counties in non-urban settings to the four Okefenokee counties, as well as 45 non-World Heritage Site counties in the same neighborhood. Those who participated in the project include Daniel Cody ’25, Marco Compton ’23, Cooper Dolhancyk ’24, Parker Floyd ’25, Hannah Godfrey ’24, Paul Ramsay ’24 and Ema Turner ’25. Nicole Morales ’23 and Jenna Pittman ’26 also contributed to the research.
Check LC Connect for Virtual CE events and instructions
Monday, Feb. 13
My Journey in Sports Management
8:20 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., 330 Smith Hall
Monday, Feb. 13
Hip Hop and Gender Representation
7 p.m., Corn Auditorium
Monday, Feb. 13
Leadership Lessons & Creating Change
8 p.m., Corn Auditorium
Thursday, Feb. 16
FILM 3003 Screening: Elvis (2023)
7 p.m., Beason Recital Hall, West Side
Football Coach Welcome Video
If you missed your opportunity to meet Wesley Dodson, the college’s new head football coach, watch this short video of the welcome ceremony, featuring remarks by LC president Susanna Baxter and Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Terlynn Olds.
Men’s Basketball
LaGrange’s fight for the first-place spot in the Collegiate Conference of the South suffered a setback in a 69-64 loss in overtime against Maryville on Friday, Feb. 3. The top scorers of the game were senior Zac Hill with 28 points and senior Bershard Edwards with 11 points. After a tough loss, the Panthers were able to bounce back and beat Piedmont 74-61. Sophomore Kyle Smith earned a game-high of 19 points.
Senior forward Zac Hill earned this week’s Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor. He produced one of the most impressive weeks of his career, averaging 26.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
Women’s Basketball
The Panthers bulldozed past Maryville to secure a 70-50 win at home on Friday, Feb 3. Senior Gracie Brunel dominated the night with a game-high 20 points. LaGrange continued its winning streak with a 73-61 victory over Piedmont on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The Panthers were led by sophomore Zyhia Johnson, who earned 19 points.
Golf
In a pre-season coaches’ poll from the Collegiate Conference of the South, LaGrange was picked to finish third. The team will begin its spring portion of the 2023 campaign at the Savannah Invitational March 6-7.
Men’s Lacrosse
The Panthers started their season off with a 17-7 win over Point University on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Junior Michael Poteete, who earned two goals in the game, put the team on the scoreboard at the top of the game. The Panthers would seal their victory with five goals by sophomore Ryan Comeau, three goals by freshman Luke Young and three goals by senior Ben Bryan.
Softball
LaGrange’s doubleheader against Sewanee on Saturday, Feb. 4, resulted in a 6-4 win and an 8-7 loss in extra innings. Freshman pitcher Claire Chamberlain struck out seven to pick up the win and move to 1-0 in the first game. The doubleheader against Reinhardt on Wednesday ended in a 4-1 loss and a 11-4 loss. Junior Hailee Palmer led the charge for LaGrange, going just 1-for-4 but delivering three RBIs, and sophomore Abby Vanhoose added the other RBI in the second game.
Beach Volleyball
The Panthers took four 5-0 losses in their matches against Truett-McConnell and Carson-Newman on Friday, Feb. 3. Freshman Morgan Martin and freshman Alexis Childers took the opening set, 21-18, at the third position before falling 21-11 and 15-4 in the team’s first game. LaGrange also dropped a pair of 5-0 decisions to Truett-McConnell and Carson-Newman on Saturday, Feb. 4.
(Please note that schedules may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check www.lagrangepanthers.com to confirm.)
Friday, Feb. 10 – Women’s Beach Volleyball vs. Carson-Newman (Truett McConnell Tournament), 8:30 a.m., Cleveland, Georgia
Friday, Feb. 10 – Men’s Tennis at Tuskegee, noon, Tuskegee, Alabama
Friday, Feb. 10 – Women’s Tennis at Tuskegee, noon, Tuskegee, Alabama
Friday, Feb. 10 – Women’s Beach Volleyball vs. Huntingdon (Truett McConnell Tournament), 1:45 p.m., Cleveland, Georgia
Friday, Feb. 10 – Women’s Basketball vs. Berea, 5 p.m., Mariotti Gym
Friday, Feb. 10 – Men’s Basketball vs. Berea, 7 p.m., Mariotti Gym
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Women’s Beach Volleyball vs. St. Andrews (Truett McConnell Tournament), noon, Cleveland, Georgia
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Men’s Lacrosse at Hendrix, 1 p.m., Conway, Arkansas
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Women’s Basketball vs. Belhaven, 2 p.m., Mariotti Gym
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Softball at Birmingham Southern, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., Birmingham, Alabama
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Women’s Beach Volleyball at Truett McConnell, 3:30 p.m., Cleveland, Georgia
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Men’s Basketball vs. Belhaven, 4 p.m., Mariotti Gym
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Women’s Basketball at Covenant, 5 p.m., Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Men’s Lacrosse at Berry, 6 p.m., Rome, Georgia
Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Men’s Basketball at Covenant, 7 p.m., Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Category: Students, Academics
Keywords: Athletics, Government
