Volleyball

Three FAU Student-Athlete Invited to NCAA 2016 NCAA Career in Sports Forum

May 19, 2016

BOCA RATON, Fla. -



Three Florida Atlantic University student-athletes have been invited to participate in the 2016 NCAA Career in Sports Forum, scheduled for June 2-5 in Indianapolis, Ind.

Ali Gorrell, Ryan McIntire and Brianne Wojciakowski were three of the five selected from Conference USA institutions and will join nearly 200 student-athletes chosen from more than 460,000 student-athletes who participate in 24 sports at more than 1,100 NCAA member institutions.

"This is a highly selective and prestigious program offered by the NCAA," said Pat Chun, FAU's vice president and director of athletics. "We are excited to have three student-athletes selected and have yet another opportunity for growth and education."

The Career in Sports Forum is designed to assist student-athletes in charting career paths in the area of sports, more specifically in collegiate sports.

Attendees at the seventh annual event will have the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers and panelists, highlighted by LaChina Robinson, a former Georgia Tech women's basketball player and current TV analyst; Stevie Baker-Watson, director of athletics at DePauw University and Craig McPhail, vice president of athletics and club sports at Lees-McRae College. They will also learn the best practices for gaining employment and gathering a better understanding of what future expectations will be in their chosen NCAA collegiate athletics field.

About Chosen FAU Student-Athletes

  • Ali Gorrell (Women's Basketball) – Came to Florida Atlantic as a junior transfer in 2013-14. The Evergreen, CO native sat out a year due to transfer rules. She ranked second on the squad in 2014-15 with 13.9 points per game and led the Owls with 6.5 rebounds per contest and while adding 33 steals and 68 assists. At seasons end she was named CoSIDA Academic All-District and C-USA All-Academic and won the C-USA Spirit of Service Award. As a senior, she averaged 15.3 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, recorded 41 steals and 126 assists, all team leading. Gorrell is a two-year member of SAAC and has been instrumental in her team's effort to capture the department's annual community service award.
  • Ryan McIntire (Men's Swimming and Diving) – Posted his best collegiate season in 2015-16 and was named CCSA Diver of the Year. McIntire was a four-time 2016 winner of CCSA diver of the week during the season. He captured the one meter and three meter dives sweeping the CCSA Championships for the Owls. The junior shattered the all-time one-meter dive record with a score of 349.00 and set the championship meet record off the three-meter board with a score of 348.35. The awards are the first CCSA awards earned by Owl performers as the men's swimming and diving team as well as beach volleyball joined the conference in 2015-16. As a sophomore he reached the finals on both the 1 and 3 meter boards and finished among the top-four in each. McIntire qualified for the NCAA Zone Meet Region B. His first season as a collegiate diver, McIntire made the conference 1 meter finals and qualified for NCAA Zones Region B.
  • Brianne Wojciakowski (Volleyball) – Joined the Owls as a freshman in 2013-14. She emerged early in the year as a key part of the rotation and had a .283 attack percentage with a total of 54 blocks. She followed that up as a sophomore appearing in 22 matches recording a .249 attack percentage with 30 blocks. As a junior, Wojciakowski saw action in 24 matches tallied 17 kills and 11 blocks. She is a two-year member of SAAC and has been instrumental in creating and helping with the OWLspys, the annual end of the year student-athlete banquet.

Quotes from Student-Athlete on the Opportunity to Attend Forum

  • Ali Gorrell (Women's Basketball) – "Being invited to the leadership forum is so exciting because it's a unique opportunity for learning and networking. I think it will be a huge help in developing my career beyond playing."
  • Ryan McIntire (Men's Swimming and Diving) – "It is an honor to have been nominated and chosen to attend the Career in Sports Forum. I am thrilled for the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge about how to begin my career in college athletics after my collegiate swim career has ended."
  • Brianne Wojciakowski (Volleyball) – "I am honored to have been selected to participate in this national event. It will provide me the opportunity to learn from those who are currently working college athletics, which is what I hope to do after my playing career is finished."