Graduate Students:

John Borland

John is a second-year doctoral student in the Sport Management and Sociology program. His research interests include race and gender in sport and media representation in sport. He holds a bachelor’s of journalism from the University of Missouri and a master’s of science in sport administration from Georgia State University. John was a copy editor for eight years at three newspapers between his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

He has been a guest lecturer in the undergraduate Sport Law class and the undergraduate Sport Issues course. Working in conjunction with Dr. Jennifer Bruening, John has undertaken research with regard to the socialization and the stereotyping of African-American female collegiate student-athletes. He is also conducting research on the experiences of assistant coaches at the Division I level. John is currently a lab consultant for the Department of Kinesiology’s Laboratory for Sport Management and Sociology.

Briana Clark

Brianna is a first-year master’s student from Marshfield, MA. She is a former field hockey student-athlete of UConn (2001-2004). She was a member of the No. 1 ranked defensive unit in 2004 and part of three Big East Championship teams (2002, 2003, 2004) and NCAA Tournament participant teams (2002, 2003, 2004). Brianna received Big East Academic Honors and became a member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division 1 Academic Squad. A 2005 graduate with a B.S. degree in sport marketing, she is continuing her education at UCONN in the Sport Management and Sociology master’s program. Brianna is also a graduate assistant for the Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletics (CPIA). She will be responsible for the tutoring program for all UConn athletes. She is a lab consultant in the Laboratory of Sport Management and Sociology.
As an undergraduate, Brianna was an active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She participated in Husky Sport's Anderson Center program in the spring of 2005 and continued the program through the summer of 2005 as Husky Sport's intern under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Bruening. Her involvement in the summer events and projects has helped Husky Sport receive the backing to continue its Anderson Center program through 2007 as well as service more youth in the Greater Hartford community.

Kydani Dover

Kydani is a first-year master’s student and a native of Boston, MA. She graduated from UConn in 2005 with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. A four-year member of the UConn swimming team, she captained the team her senior year. She is now an assistant coach for the women’s and men’s swim teams. She is a lab consultant in the Laboratory of Sport Management and Sociology.
Beyond competing as a varsity athlete, Kydani has served on UConn's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, interned at Northeaster University's renowned Center for the Study of Sport in Society, participated in Husky Sport's Anderson Center program in the spring of 2005 and worked with Outward Bound in the Boston area. She is a 2005 recipient of the NCAA's Women's and Minority Enhancement Post-Graduate Scholarship and is currently pursuing her master's degree in Sport Management and Sociology at UConn.

Joon Young Han

Joon is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Sport Management and Sociology graduate program. His research interests include media representation in sport, power structure and globalization in sport, athletics vs. academics in college sports, collegiate sport organizations and methodology. Joon received a master’s of science degree in sport sociology and management from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 2002. He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Yeungnam University in Korea in 1999.

Joon has worked as a lecturer and teaching assistant at UConn. He recently taught the undergraduate sport marketing class. He is currently a lab consultant for the Department of Kinesiology’s Laboratory for Sport Management and Sociology. Joon worked as a graduate assistant at the Director of Fitness and Wellness Programming at the Hartford branch of the University of Connecticut. As a master’s student, Joon worked as an instructor and teaching assistant.

Recent Publications & Presentations:

Yiannakis, A., Selby, M. J. P., Douvis, J., & Han, J.Y. (2006). Forecasting of sport: A Time Series Analysis with English Premier League Soccer. International Review of Sport Sociology
(accepted).

Han, J. Y. (2005). Methodology in Sport Studies and Trend Analysis of Journals. The 113th Sport Social Philosophy Seminar, Gyongbuk, Korea: June, 2005

Han, J. Y., Cho, S., & Lei, S. (2004). Building an Off-Campus Football Facility: An Analysis of Student Attendance Motivation Scale by Utilizing Online Data Collection Procedure. The 6th Florida State University Sport Management Conference, Tallahassee, FL: Oct., 2004.

Yiannakis, A., Kane, G., Han, J. Y., & Lyras, A. (2004). Effects of Physical Activity on Mood: A Field Experimental Investigation. 2004 Pre-Olympic Scientific Congress, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Gregory Kane

Greg is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology. With the completion of his bachelor’s (1998) and master’s degrees (2002) in the Department of Kinesiology, he developed a strong foundation in Exercise Physiology. In 2002, Greg entered the doctoral program in Sport Management under the direction of Dr. Andrew Yiannakis. In the last few years, he has studied the influences of various modes of physical activity, martial arts, recreational sports, Division IA sport, and fitness programs to name a few, for their effectiveness in creating alterations in mood states.

In addition to his role as a student, Greg is the coordinator for the Department of Kinesiology’s Laboratory for Sport Management and Sociology. This is his fourth year in the position and is responsible for the organization and day-to-day operations of the lab. He also maintains a graduate assistant at the Director of Fitness and Wellness Programming at the Hartford branch of the University of Connecticut.

Minyong Lee

Minyong Lee is a first-year PhD student in Kinesiology. He defended his master's thesis, entitled "An Investigation of Motivational Factors among Intercollegiate Fans Attending Non-Revenue Sporting Events" in December 2005. Minyong holds a bachelor's of science degree in mechanical engineering from Chosun University in South Korea. He has received his master's degree in sport management from UConn. His research interests include sport marketing, fan behavior and sport finance. He has two research articles in review: "The University of Notre Dame: An Examination of the Impact and Evaluation of Brand Equity in NCAA Division I-A Football" and "The Effects of Gender and Racial/Ethnic Socialization and Stereotypes on the Experiences of Student-Athletes."

Alexis Lyras

Alexis Lyras is a PhD student in Kinesiology. He received his master’s degree in Education (Sport Management and Sociology) at the University of Connecticut, with the support from the Higher Education Scholarship for Sport Administrators, which is a program of the Olympic Solidarity of the International Olympic Committee. The selection was made on a worldwide competitive basis. Lyras has 15 years coaching and consultancy experience. He worked as a basketball coach at all levels (novice-professionals) and as a consultant and coordinator in national sport development programs in Greece and Cyprus.

Lyras is the founder and the Principal Investigator of the Doves Olympic Movement (http://www.dovesolympicmovement.com), which is an initiative that emphasizes the use of sports as a tool for achieving peace and understanding amongst young people, raised in conflict areas around the world. The program also stresses the use of sports for personal and social change and development. The core of this project expresses his views and personal interests in this field of study that are focused in two areas. The first is the psychosocial and educational aspects of sports and the other is the design, implementation and evaluation of various educational and development programs throughout the world.

Recent Publications & Presentations:

Lyras, A., Yiannakis, A., Kartakoullis, N. & Loizou. C. (2005). Sports as a Medium for Personal and Social Change. Presentation at the 13th Congress of the European Association for Sport Management, Newcastle, England
Lyras, A. (2005). A global investigation of basketball coaches’ profession: Initial findings and future orientation. Presentation at the 13th Congress of the European Association for Sport Management, Newcastle, England
Lyras, A. Yiannakis, A., Kartakoullis N. (2005). Doves Olympic Movement: Using sports and other educational supportive subjects toward evolving self and society. Grant awarded by the United Nations Office of Project Services.
Lyras, A. (2005). “Healthy body and healthy mind”: The investigation of the relationship between athletic and moral development. Research in progress, University of Connecticut, Storrs.
Lyras, A. (2004). Factors Contributing To Success and Psychosocial Development in Sport among Coaches and Athletes. Scholarship awarded from the Cyprus Research Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Lyras, A., Brown S.W. & Radovic, Z. (2004). Educational issues in Coaching: A global investigation of basketball coaches’ profession. Presentation at the 35th Annual Conference of the Northeaster Educational Research Association in New York, USA.
Yiannakis A., Kane G., Han J.Y. & Lyras A. (2004). Effects of Physical activity on Mood: A Field experimental Investigation (presentation at the Pre-Olympic Conference, Thessalonica, Greece).

Dave Nicholson

Dave is currently a first year doctoral student in the Sport Management and Sociology program. He received a bachelor's degree in Health & Physical Education (Slippery Rock University 2003), and a master's degree in Sport Management (Slippery Rock University 2004). Dave was an elementary Health & PE teacher in South Carolina before entering into the program in January 2005 under the advisement of Dr. Jennifer Bruening. His research interests in the field include sport law and gender, race, and sexuality issues in sport.

Gail Orem

Gail is currently a first year doctoral student from Hockessin, DE. With a bachelor’s degree (2001) in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree (2004) in Sport and Athletic Administration from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, she is continuing her studies in the UConn Sport Management and Sociology doctoral program. In fall 2005, she entered into the program under the advisement of Dr. Andrew Yiannakis. Her area of interest in the field focuses on international sport. While at the University of Delaware, she was a member of the nationally ranked women’s lightweight rowing squad. Currently, she is the head men’s rowing coach at UConn. Gail is currently a lab consultant for the Department of Kinesiology’s Laboratory for Sport Management and Sociology.

Jon Welty Peachey

Jon Welty Peachey is a second-year PhD student in Kinesiology. He holds undergraduate degrees in Communications and Physical Education from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana and a M.Ed. in Sports Administration from Temple University. Presently, he serves as Vice President of Operations and Program Development for the Institute for International Sport, an organization which administers multi-national athletic and cultural events around the world, and which develops national and international educational programming. Jon has authored an interactive CD-ROM for the highly acclaimed National Sportsmanship Day, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and is currently being used by thousands of middle and high school teachers across the country to teach the values of sportsmanship. Additionally, he authored an educational "how to" CD-ROM on sports parenting, sponsored by The Center for Sports Parenting and funded by the U.S. Department of Education, which is being utilized nationally by recreational sports leagues and parent teacher associations. His research interests lie within the field of international sports, particularly the Olympic movement, and in leadership theory and development. Jon taught the sport law undergraduate course and co-taught the undergraduate sport marketing class in the Fall 2005 semester.