Michigan State Athletics has announced staff changes in the Sports Medicine and Performance Department, which is led by Executive Associate Athletic Director/Director of Student-Athlete Services Jim Pignataro.
“The health and safety of student-athletes is our top priority,” said MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis. “We’re excited about the growth of these expanded offerings for our student-athletes that will affect them in a positive manner.”
“We’ve had a very productive summer as we’ve added Sports Medicine and Performance staff and resources that will help on so many levels,” said Pignataro. “Congratulations to Dr. Jeff Kovan (sports medicine), Dr. Sally Nogle (athletic training) and Ken Mannie (strength and conditioning) as they continue to lead units that help student-athletes be at their best both mentally and physically.”
Lianna Hadden, who is entering her 17th year on the MSU athletic training staff and spent the past 14 seasons with the volleyball team, will now work with wrestling, men’s and women’s swimming, and other Olympic sports. Hadden is replacing the role of Hall of Fame athletic trainer Dr. John Powell, who announced his retirement over the summer. In addition to working with her assigned sports, she will serve as an assistant sports nutritionist, specializing in education for all MSU athletic teams as well as work in insurance billing.
Filling Hadden’s position with the volleyball program is Kelly Stobba. A native of Franklin, Wisconsin, Stobba spent three years as the associate athletic trainer for the football program at the University of Toledo and was the assistant athletic trainer at Minnesota-Duluth from 2007-11. She formerly worked as the head athletic trainer for Oak Hall School while she was a graduate assistant at the University of Florida. Stobba received a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Wisconsin-La Crosse and her master’s degree in applied physiology and kinesiology from Florida.
Matt Moreau, who previously worked at Lehigh University, will be working with the baseball team and will also have oversight of men’s soccer. While at Lehigh, Moreau spent time with the field hockey, cross country, women’s basketball, baseball and softball programs. Moreau replaces Dr. Brian Bratta, who left in May to become the assistant athletic director for athletic training at Buffalo.
Sports dietitian Jessica Watson, MS, RD, LDN, joined the sports medicine department in January 2015 and since her arrival, has radically changed the way student-athletes use sports nutrition services. She has successfully launched the SPARTAN FUEL program, which focuses on increasing performance, supplementation and health lifestyles. Watson came to MSU from the University of Tennessee where she served as assistant sport dietitian for the Volunteer football program. She reports to the Director of Sports Medicine and Performance Dr. Jeff Kovan.
In addition to the new staff members, the completely renovated Sports Medicine and Performance Center opened Aug. 3 at the Duffy Daugherty Football Building. The renovated training room features four therapy pools, including two underwater treadmills and two hot/cold pools, and new taping and treatment stations.
On the strength and conditioning staff, Mike Vorkapich, who was promoted to associate head strength and conditioning coach in 2009, has added the title of director of sport science to his resume as he enters his 20th year on staff at Michigan State. He will be leading a team of internal and external experts in the areas of sports nutrition, sport psychology, data analytics and athletic performance. A former Spartan linebacker, Vorkapich rejoined the football program in 2015 after a 10-year stint in which he directed the men’s basketball, hockey and both golf programs. In addition to developing the first sport science program for MSU Athletics and assisting with the football team, Vorkapich will continue to oversee hockey and golf. Vorkapich got his start at Michigan State as a graduate assistant from 1995-97.
Todd Moyer, who previously worked with the men’s basketball program at Tennessee, joins MSU Athletics to work with Tom Izzo and the Spartan men’s basketball program as a strength and conditioning coach. Moyer worked in Knoxville for one season (2014-15) and also was an associate director of strength and conditioning at Southern Miss in 2013-14. Before his lone season at Southern Miss, Moyer spent eight years at Jacksonville University, the last five of which he held the title of head strength and conditioning coach. Moyer served as an intern at Jacksonville in 2005-06 before taking an assistant strength and conditioning coach position at Wayne State in Detroit. He was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, Bowling Green, from 2004-05. He preceded that post with stints as a strength and conditioning intern for the USF football program in 2003 and the Detroit Tigers/Oneonta Tigers that same year. Moyer earned his bachelor’s degree as an exercise specialist from Bowling Green in 2002, and he also received his master’s in developmental kinesiology from Bowling Green in 2005.
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