Daemen Athletics Partnering With Olympic Medalist On Mental Health Programming For Student-Athletes

10/14/2020 3:00:00 PM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College Division of Athletics will launch new programming aimed at assisting the mental health of student-athletes through a partnership with Olympic Gold Medalist Samantha Livingstone, founder and facilitator of the Livingstone High Performance Academy. Livingstone's program, The WHOLE Athlete Initiative (The WAI), will become available for Daemen student-athletes this month.

According to program's website, "The WAI is a holistic approach to cultivating high-performance that honors the development of the WHOLE athlete, mind, body and soul, by providing pillars of support to elevate mental health and improve performance." The WAI pillars of support include mindfulness, mental performance, emotional resilience, athlete well-being and mental health education.

The WAI will be delivered via a smart phone app that's been developed specific to the needs of Daemen student-athletes. Two four-week sessions - one during the Fall 2020 semester and another in Spring 2021 - will be available. The app will engage student-athletes through hands-on exercises, activities and mindfulness to promote better mental health and performance.

"We are very excited to be partnering with Samantha Livingstone in this initiative for our student-athletes," said Stephanie Albano, head women's volleyball coach and assistant athletics director for administration, who brokered the partnership on behalf of Daemen. "There is a mental health crisis in our nation, especially amongst young adults. Now more than ever, there is uncertainty, unknowns, and unease in our student-athletes. We want to provide support during these challenging times, and give student-athletes the tools to move through the challenges they face on and off the playing surface. There are three things that we can train; our skill, our physicality, and our mind. We are thrilled to be working with Samantha and her platform that provides a place for our student-athletes to train their mind."

Mental health initiatives have gained momentum in recent years, including amongst athletes. NBA champion Kevin Love has become a leading voice on issues related to mental health and athlete well-being following a series of contributions to The Players' Tribune. Likewise, the NCAA Sports Science Institute devotes an entire section of its website to mental health and collaborates with the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committees on programming to support student-athlete mental wellness.

Livingstone, who won gold for the 4x200 meter relay in swimming at the 2000 Olympic Games, holds a master's degree in education and has dedicated her professional career towards mentoring coaches, athletes and other leaders. She has worked with coaches and athletes from the University of Georgia, University of Texas and Williams College, as well as USA Figure Skating and USA Swimming.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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