St. Louis, Mo. – The Washington University in St. Louis Athletics Department launches the Center of Excellence initiative comprised of five core areas dedicated to build and prepare Scholar-Champions for both today and beyond. Sports Performance, Sports Medicine, Nutrition, Enrichment Services and the soon-to-be-launched Well-Being Suite collectively will provide a competitive advantage to WashU student-athletes who want to become, and graduate, Scholar-Champions.
"WashU features a world-class education and an athletic home to stellar coaches and motivated student-athletes that embody a culture of intellectual curiosity and a winning mentality," said Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the John M. Schael Director of Athletics Anthony J. Azama. "This collective approach, the Center of Excellence, seeks to fully maximize the student-athletes' potential of competitive excellence in spite of fierce competition, while continuing to define and take advantage of opportunities moving forward." The end goal, in addition to attracting the very best, is to provide the experience, resources and roadmap for student-athletes to cultivate their talents to maximize future value beyond their four years of undergraduate study."
Over the next several days, we will highlight each of the five core areas that comprise the Center of Excellence. Each core area allows WashU Athletics to tangibly differentiate itself among competing institutions. Today's featured area is Nutrition.
Nutrition
Peyton Dixon is a registered dietician with WashU Dining Services that works directly with WashU's student-athletes. With his background in sports nutrition, Dixon consults with student-athletes one-on-one, provides team-talks and advocates for ways to continue improving the way WashU student-athletes are provided for.
Additionally, in partnership with Enrichment Services for Student-Athlete Development, there are several other opportunities to learn proper nutrition, including "How to Fuel Your Body as a Student-Athlete" and "How to Fuel During the Season" events throughout the year.
"Our Department of Dining Nutrition Services is excited to continue our partnership with WashU Athletics to provide the best possible care for our student-athletes and make sure they are able to perform at their highest level both academically & athletically," said Dixon. "By providing nutrition education during team talks, one-on-one consultation sessions, or various nutrition pop-up events around campus, we want equip students not only with the information but also the ability to feasibly apply that information in their daily lives. This year we aim to elevate ourselves as a resource for student-athletes and pioneer new, innovative ways that WashU can promote overall wellness for its student-athletes."
