The Foghorn sat down with some of the women behind the scenes of the Dons’ victories for their experiences and insights.
Morgan Batcheller, the interim head athletic trainer and athletic trainer for men’s soccer and women’s golf, started her journey at California State University, Fullerton where she played Division I soccer. She then pursued a master’s degree in athletic training before working with the Chargers for the 2017 season as a seasonal athletic trainer, and worked under the NFL’s first female athletic trainer, Ariko Iso. Batcheller learned from Iso for three and a half months before the beginning of the pandemic. She spent most of the pandemic in San Diego, before being hired as an assistant at USF in 2021.
Batcheller’s advice was, “Do the job you were hired to do, however you get your foot in the door, whether it’s [as an] intern or your first job or your third job. If you do what is expected of you and what’s in your job description, that’s how you earn the trust.”
Casey Gonzalez, an associate athletic trainer for men’s basketball and men’s golf, discussed her daily responsibilities managing physical injuries and mental health for sports teams. She played softball at the University of New Mexico, which introduced her to the sports medicine field. Gonzalez talked about one of her memorable moments as an athletic trainer at Sonoma State University. “The year that my basketball team went to march madness, I was one of six female athletic trainers. And there’s a field of 68 teams, so I was one of six female athletic trainers for all of the entire teams.”
“Getting to see them through the bad times and then come out on top, on the other side, I think, is my favorite part,” Gonzalez said. “To see them get their first dunk again after they’re coming back from surgery, it’s a really cool feeling knowing that you got to be there with them through that,” While Gonzalez was answering questions, USF alumni and former men’s basketball player Yauhen Massalski was waiting for her to finish the interview so she could continue to train him. Massalski said, “She is one of the most talented athletic trainers, and she has helped [me] a lot.” He added that the reason that she is so successful in her career is because she is confident and stands her ground so athletes trust and respect her.
Isabella Brunner is an assistant athletic director for ticket sales and operations at USF. She is tasked with community outreach and fostering relationships between athletics and the University. Brunner started her career path at Baylor University where she studied neuroscience with a minor in business. She worked in the Baylor ticket department beginning in 2021 and football recruiting in 2022. She then got a job with the San Francisco Giants working in the premium suites and luxury sales before coming to USF.
Brunner emphasized the importance of building relationships, managing logistics and increasing athletic program visibility in San Francisco. “It’s not only about generating revenue for the athletic program, but also making sure that there’s that equal interest between the community wanting to come here and also us wanting to show that we value them,” said Brunner.
When asked about her experience working in sports, Brunner said that, “[I] kind of noticed that at some level [women] weren’t being treated the same.” She continued,“People believe for some reason that men are better at selling a product or better at hitting sales numbers. I don’t necessarily think that’s true,” Brunner said.
Brunner’s advice for women who want a career in sports,“You just have to know how to advocate for yourself […] I think there’s probably a lot of that type of stereotyping and discrimination happening, but I think when you find the right opportunity, that’ll be the one for you.”
Zoey Greenberg is the Game Day Experience Manager, whose role involves preparing for athletic events and managing in-game activities such as halftime activities. Her daily tasks include coordinating with student workers, ensuring video boards and sound systems function, and planning social media content.
She is also an alumna of USF’s undergraduate program, with a degree in advertising and a minor in public relations. Greenberg recounts her early experience at USF, saying that she started as a game day staff worker and cold emailed the director of marketing and fan experience to get involved in the USF athletics. She emphasizes the value of reaching out to people in the industry to create opportunities for yourself. “From a cold email, I worked with the 49ers for a little bit with their data analytics team, and that was a really fun experience. It was short just because I got onto this season late, and they don’t have that many games, but it was really cool just to see how far a connection can go.”
Greenberg continued, “There’s going to be long days and there’s going to be long nights, and there’s going to be challenges, but if you are willing to just keep grinding and keep working, you’ll be able to accomplish anything,” she said.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, News Editor: Phebe Bridges, Sports Editor: John Lindroos
