Nine University of Michigan School of Information students and six students from other U-M schools and colleges have been selected to attend the 2025 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, a leading forum on the increasing role of analytics in the global sports industry. The conference takes place March 7-8 in Boston, Massachusetts. 

“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 former dean of the School of Information. Finholt is an early and active proponent of sports analytics. 

UMSI provides financial support for students selected to attend the conference. Applications for were reviewed by Finholt and Jacques Chestnut, senior administrative assistant serving the faculty and the Office of the Dean at UMSI. Chestnut reports that 52 students applied for the conference. 

Additionally, two students were selected by the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference for its mentorship program: Madeline Coe, a junior majoring in data science at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; and Fayrooz Hajjat, a second-year Master of Applied Data Science student at the School of Information. The mentorship program focuses on providing opportunities for students and early-career sports analytics professionals to connect with experienced leaders in the field, network across the industry and build skills. 

U-M students attending the 2025 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference: 

Zannah Baker -  School of Information

Yatin Bichala -  College of Engineering

Kexin Chen -  School of Kinesiology

Yinghui Chen -  School of Information

Madeline Coe -  College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Pari Dar -  School of Information

Ethan Fu -  College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Fayrooz Hajjat - School of Information

Hunter Kanouse - College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Julia Kassab - School of Information

Aditya Kendre - School of Information

Feiting Li - School of Information

Megan Pouncy - School of Information

Madison Pyne - College of Engineering

Quentinn Roby - School of Information