MSUFCU's Women of Sparta for 2024-2025.
Credit/MSUFCU
Four months after announcing what officials called a "revolutionary" approach to its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) programs, the East Lansing, Mich.-based Michigan State University Federal Credit Union ($7.8 billion in assets, 359,937 members) announced its first group included in its "Women of Sparta" NIL program.
MSUFCU took a unique position by focusing its NIL program on Michigan State University women's athletics. The credit union's initiative is designed to provide student-athletes with support that transcends typical NIL deals focused only on financial compensation.
On Monday, MSUFCU announced the first group of female athletes in its "Women of Sparta" venture. The athletes include the following:
- Cross-country: Cookie Baugh (junior), Sydnee Sinn (sophomore)
- Field Hockey: Madeline Lawlor (senior), Bianca Pizano (sophomore)
- Golf: Brooke Biermann (senior), Shannon Kennedy (junior), Katie Lu (senior)
- Gymnastics: Gabi Stephen (senior)
- Rowing: Emily Crofut (junior), Haley Sornig (junior)
- Soccer: Justina Gaynor (graduate student), Jordyn Wickes (senior)
- Softball: Britain Beshears (junior), Payton Conroy (sophomore)
- Track and Field: Savannah Breitwiser (sophomore), Mia Rogan (sophomore)
- Volleyball: Julia Bishop (senior), Makya Clayton (sophomore)
- Basketball: Julia Ayrault (graduate student), Kennedy Blair (redshirt freshman), Sinai Douglas (freshman), Theryn Hallock (junior), Nyla Hampton (graduate student), Helen Holley (freshman), Abbey Kimball (junior), Mary Meng (redshirt freshman), Emma Shumate (junior), Jaddan Simmons (graduate student), Jocelyn Tate (senior), Grace VanSlooten (junior), Juliann Woodard (freshman)
"Being a Woman of Sparta is an incredible opportunity to advance women's sports at MSU," Sydnee Sinn, a sophomore in cross-country, said. "This program allows me to integrate my passions for athletics, community service, social media and personal development."
For those student-athletes participating in Women of Sparta, according to MSUFCU, they "will benefit from a range of opportunities tailored to support their holistic development, including financial education, personal branding workshops, mentorship programs, job shadowing, internship opportunities and an expanded NIL program."
The Women of Sparta program offers more than traditional NIL arrangements, according to Monday's announcement. It includes financial education, personal branding workshops, mentorship programs, job shadowing and internship opportunities. MSUFCU's expanded NIL program is dedicated to helping student-athletes build essential professional skills and achieve success in their future careers.
"We are proud to welcome these remarkable student-athletes to our NIL partnership and to offer a program that significantly enhances their financial well-being, leadership skills, and career readiness," April Clobes, president/CEO at MSUFCU, said. "Women of Sparta aims to amplify the voices of women's sports athletes, provide them with vital life skills, and create pathways for their success both on and off the field."
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
