Jess Brinkerhoff with USU Eastern was invited to speak at the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) August luncheon.
USU Eastern, featured as a Business Spotlight, shed some focus on their sports programs. Brinkerhoff explained that they are starting to become very competitive, doing things in a very organized manner. One of the most recent accomplishments this last year was that the cumulative student body of athletes reached a 3.4 GPA.
That is over 250 athletes that are academically engaged and successfully at a 3.4 GPA. Women’s soccer had a cumulative 3.76 and was number three in the entire nation, while women’s basketball was at 3.65 and were at number four in the nation.
Brinkerhoff stated that he did not think that people realized how hard it is to get a cumulative GPA and wanted to give the students a shoutout. “We are students, first and foremost, before they’re athletes,” Brinkerhoff said.
He then stated that one of the main goals as the Athletic Director is to connect with the community. He is aiming to get more people to notice the marketing throughout the community, such as game day signs. Brinkerhoff wanted the community to know that they would love the support and want seats filled at the games.
He stated that USU Eastern features some very competitive and highly-qualified athletes that are very entertaining to watch. Games at USU Eastern run from August all the way to the middle of May and a schedule can be located here.
Brinkerhoff then said that part of connecting is giving back. One of the things that USU Eastern has implemented is an opportunity to get a dollar ticket for any family if they support local businesses. Those that bring a receipt to a game that shows local support can basically turn it into a coupon for $1 tickets for the entire family for that game.
Brinkerhoff concluded his presentation by encouraging the community to reach out and ask for support in some way. If they are available, they would love to engage. He thanked the many businesses that support USU Eastern.