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Three MAIAA Students Attend NCAA Regional Rules Seminar

Three MAIAA Students Attend NCAA Regional Rules Seminar
Grayson Wagner, James Frey and Candice Dominguez attended the 2018 Regional Rules Seminar in Atlanta, benefiting athletics administrators, coaches and other collegiate athletics employees looking to gain a better understanding of industry rules and regulations.
At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the College of Business master of arts in intercollegiate athletes administration (MAIAA) students expanded their professional development and networking experiences this June. Representing the program, Candice Dominguez, James Frey and Grayson Wagner attended the 2018 Regional Rules Seminar in Atlanta, benefiting athletic administrators, coaches and other collegiate athletics employees looking to gain a better understanding of industry rules and regulations.
 
“This trip to the Regional Rules Seminar sets the Nebraska MAIAA program apart from other sport-specific graduate programs. Full-time graduate students typically do not attend this conference. Our students not only attended, but also had the additional benefit of meeting with NCAA decision-makers. It provides a great advantage for our students,” said Dr. Jake Messersmith, executive director of graduate programs and associate professor of management.
 
The seminar was filled with numerous breakout sessions with topics such as Division I transfers, recruiting, financial aid, legislation and academics. Each one lasted about an hour and attendees could go to as many sessions as the day allowed.
 
“At NCAA Regional Rules, I was able to meet so many great people who stand for integrity and fairness in collegiate athletics,” said Frey, who is from Meriden, Connecticut. “I gained an appreciation for the intricacies of NCAA rules and regulations while enjoying the company of my MAIAA peers, making priceless memories and connections along the way.”
 
An excursion to SunTrust Park was one of the highlights of the trip.
An excursion to SunTrust Park was one of the highlights of the trip.
MAIAA Advisory Board members Kathy Sulentic ’98 and Rob Heuer ’05 attended the seminar and spent time talking with the students. Sulentic, board chair and associate director of enforcement in the academic integrity unit at the NCAA, presented a session at the seminar the cohort members all attended. Heuer, an assistant athletic director in compliance at Southern Methodist University, caught up with his fellow Huskers at dinner. Both board members are alumni of Nebraska.
 
The students also took day trips to the College Football Hall of Fame, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Falcons) and SunTrust Park (Atlanta Braves). These visits gave students the chance to see the facilities of professional sports teams, something they don’t get to see everyday living in Lincoln, Nebraska.
 
“Getting to tour the Falcons and Braves stadiums was quite the experience,” said Dominguez, who is from Ventura, California. “In our athletic administration seminar classes, we’ve toured many colleges and their facilities, but professional stadiums are a lot bigger. Though, that is not the case here at Nebraska, where I thought the stadiums and facilities around here are very comparable to the professional ones we saw in Atlanta.”
 
These second-year cohort members return to campus the second week of August to begin their graduate assistantships at the Nebraska Department of Athletics. Classes begin on August 20.
 
To learn more about the MAIAA program at Nebraska, visit:https://business.unl.edu/maiaa.   
Published: August 2, 2018