SAN ANTONIO – In what seemed like a normal day, Sophia Kennedy was attending her anatomy and physiology class as a sophomore at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, when a visit from a guest speaker changed the trajectory of her life.
John Norcott, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Pirates’ athletics programs, introduced Kennedy to the field of sports performance in collegiate athletics. What began the next morning proved to be the start of an impressive career path that has led Kennedy to the role of Director of Sports Performance for Olympic Sports at UTSA.
“He started talking about strength and conditioning and I liked how it was this high-performance thing that you could do with athletes,” Kennedy said. “I knew that I liked working out but I wasn’t sure specifically if I could go down a route that wasn’t personal training. I loved being around athletes, so I showed up at 5 a.m. the next day and hit the ground running. I really liked how it challenged me mentally and physically as well.”
Kennedy, a native of San Antonio, served as an intern in sports performance with the Roadrunners following her undergraduate days before a stint as a graduate assistant at West Texas A&M. She returned to UTSA in 2022 and now oversees the sports performance staff for Olympic sports. In addition, Kennedy serves as the sports performance coach for the soccer, softball and men’s tennis teams.
Despite many more women entering the profession in recent years, sports performance remains a heavily male-dominated field. Women serving in director roles like Kennedy are even more rare.
“In strength and conditioning, there’s about 20 percent female vs. about 80 percent male but, to me, it means that I’m fortunate enough to stand on all the women’s shoulders before me and who have really gone through a lot of struggles to kind of pave the way for me,” Kennedy said. “I just want to make sure that I’m doing a good job to represent all of them.”
Kennedy’s experiences and accomplishments have allowed her to serve as a role model for the student-athletes she coaches.
“Female athletes and women in general have had to work harder to gain the respect of others, specifically in leadership positions and in sports,” she said. “You have to be really resilient because you know you’re fighting an uphill battle.”
From an early age, Kennedy has been encouraged to relentlessly pursue her dreams. Her mother, Olga, immigrated from Russia and has set a strong example for Kennedy throughout her life.
“My mom is the most resilient person,” Kennedy said. “Just seeing everything she’s built and how she carries herself has really inspired me. She’s taught me that if I want something in life, I should never take no for an answer.”
Throughout her career, Kennedy has benefitted from a strong network of peers in the industry who have helped her along the way.
“I have a lot of friends who are female strength coaches and just coaches in general,” she said. “Having that support system has been really inspiring for me.”
Kennedy is also inspired by women throughout the world who have created meaningful change, including Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.
“I really look up to Malala,” Kennedy said. “She fought for women’s rights to gain education and she’s still fighting for that. She’s a resilient figure, never takes no for an answer and has challenged the norms, which I think is really important.”
Kennedy understands that the significance of her role stretches far beyond her daily responsibilities. Women who aspire to work in the sports performance field look up to what she has accomplished and can see a career path for themselves.
“If you want something, you have to go and get it; don’t just take things for granted,” Kennedy said. “Whatever room you’re in, take up space, have a good presence and just know that you deserve to be in the room.”