Five University of Michigan students have been selected to attend the 2024 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference through its mentorship program. 

The University of Michigan School of Information is providing funding for 11 more U-M students to attend the conference, a leading forum on the increasing role of analytics in the global sports industry. It will take place in Boston, Massachusetts on March 1-2. 

“Sports analytics is the use of statistics and data generated in the course of competition and sometimes practice to produce insights that have competitive advantage,” says Thomas A. Finholt, U-M Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs, professor of information and Dean Emeritus of the School of Information. Finholt is an early and active proponent of sports analytics. 

“Probably the canonical example is Michael Lewis’s book ‘Moneyball’ and the subsequent movie starring Brad Pitt,” Finholt says. 

The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is committed to elevating and broadening diversity in sports. Its mentorship program focuses on providing opportunities for women and Black students and early sports careerists to connect with senior professionals, network across the industry and build skills. 

Applications for the mentorship program were reviewed by Finholt and Jacques Chestnut, administrative assistant serving the faculty and the Office of the Dean at UMSI. 

U-M students in the 2024 mentorship program:

Eliana Detata - School of Kinesiology, Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management and UMSI, Bachelor of Science in Information

Leah Feilbogen - UMSI, Bachelor of Science in Information 

Isabelle Nolan - College of Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Brielle Smith -  School of Kinesiology, Master of Science in Movement Science 

Xingyue (Sherry) Zhang - UMSI, Master of Science in Information

U-M students attending with UMSI support: 

Bryce Carson - School of Kinesiology, Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management and UMSI, Bachelor of Science in Information

Jean Applys Cherizol - UMSI, Master of Applied Data Science

Abigail Finn - UMSI, Bachelor of Science in Information

Jack Padron - School of Kinesiology, Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management and UMSI, Bachelor of Science in Information

Rohan Patel - College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Computer Science

Josh Pomerantz - College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Bachelor of Science in Statistics

Amy Rodriguez - UMSI, Bachelor of Science in Information

Kendall Spencer - School of Kinesiology, Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management

Benjamin Weber - College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Bachelor of Science in Statistics

Yuning (Iris) Ye - UMSI, Master of Science in Information

Owen Yoo - College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Data Science