UNCP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Graduate Assistant Coach ( Offense )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach ( Defensive Line )
Job Titles:
- Athletic Communications Contact
- Director of Athletic Communications & Broadcasting
Having already attained athletic communications experience in the Peach Belt Conference as a student assistant in the sports information office at Georgia College, Alex Cooper begins his fourth year on the UNCP athletics department staff in 2018-19 as the Director of Athletic Communications & Broadcasting.
Cooper serves as the media contact and handles the day-to-day operations of the women's basketball, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving and volleyball programs for the Braves. Cooper also serves as the North Carolina Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) University Division I baseball coordinator and is a member of the Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) Women's Basketball Southeast Region committee. He is also a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Cooper comes to Pembroke from Pella, Iowa, where he served for six months as an intern in the sports information department at Central College. While there, Cooper served as the main liaison for nine sports, including volleyball, men's and women's basketball and women's golf, and was also instrumental in creating graphics for the Dutch's social media accounts, as well as creating and editing media guides and programs. He also devised a marketing campaign for the NCAA Cross Country Regional, including managing a budget and ordering promotional items.
Cooper got his start in the sports information field at Georgia College where he attained a four-year stint as a student-assistant under assistant athletics director Al Weston. While with the Bobcats, he served as the primary contact for Georgia College's nationally-ranked softball team, as well as the women's basketball, golf and women's tennis squads. He was also charged with managing the department's Twitter and Instagram accounts . Cooper also prepared and supervised GC's live radio show, The Prowl, which broadcasted on location at a local restaurant.
Cooper earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Georgia College in 2015 and is currently perusing his master's degree in sports administration at UNCP. He married his wife, Madison, in July 2016 and they currently reside in Lumberton.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach ( Offensive Line )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach ( Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach ( Recruiting Coordinator / Wide Receivers )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Athletic Trainer, LAT
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach ( Throws )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach ( Defensive Backs )
Job Titles:
- Senior Woman Administrator / Assistant AD for Complianc
Job Titles:
- Assistant AD / Athletic Performanc
David Synan took the reins of the UNC Pembroke golf program in June 2005 and will serve his 15th year as the skipper of the women's program in 2020-21. He joined the Braves after serving as assistant coach for two seasons at his alma mater, High Point University, and also served as the head coach of UNCP's men's golf program for 10 seasons (2006-15).
Synan is no stranger to Pembroke having graduated from nearby Scotland High School in Laurinburg. After a stellar prep career with the Fighting Scots, he played at High Point where he was a key contributor to the Panthers for three seasons after transferring from Georgia Southern. During those three seasons, Synan served as team captain and took home All-Big South accolades. He was a three-time Millis Scholar-Athlete, as well as being named to the Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll and High Point's Dean's List. Synan was at the forefront of the starting of the women's golf program in the fall of 2006 and, since then, both the men's and women's golf teams have made numerous appearances in the national rankings.
The 2010 Durham Amateur Open Champion (-3, 69-70) and 2011 Scotland County Amateur Champion (E, 62-77-77) was named UNCP Coach of the Year during the 2010-11 athletic year after leading both the men's and women's squads to the NCAA Regional tournament. He has also earned two PBC Women's Golf Coach of the Year awards since the sport was added as a conference championship sport prior to the 2009-10 athletic season.
Ten men's golfers earned all-Peach Belt Conference laurels under Synan's tutelage, with two of those student-athletes, Jordan Walor and Jonathan McCurry, combining to earn five all-American honors. The women's team has accounted for 23 all-conference nods, while former standout Meghan Moore earned all-American honors following the 2011-12 and 2012-13 campaigns - the first women's all-American in the history of the program. Synan's teams have combined for for over 30 all-American scholar honors, while former standout Katja Dammann was awarded Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction following a breakout campaign in 2010-11. Under Synan's watch, the program has also brought home four Freshman of the Year honors as well as three Player of the Year accolades.
Over the past 14 seasons, Synan's teams have combined to bring home 35 team tournament championships, including a trio of PBC Tournament titles (Women: 2011, 2014; Men: 2012). The women's program has recorded 23 tournament championships since 2006, including the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship in 2011 and 2014. The men's program tallied 12 team tournament titles under Synan's watch, including the 2012 PBC Championship. Under his tutelage, the golf programs also boast 30 individual tournament titles over that same stretch, including a trio of PBC Championships (Jordan Walor in 2010, Dammann in 2011, Moore in 2013).
Synan's teams have also seen success in the classroom. During the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, the women's program was recognized as one of the Top 25 women's team for GPA for the year.
Synan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in sport management from High Point in 2003 and completed his master's degree in sport studies in 2005. In addition to his coaching duties, Synan serves as a lecturer in UNCP's Health, Physical Education, and Recreation department.
He and Jamie, his wife of 14 years, reside in Aberdeen. The couple has two children, Summer and Jack.
Job Titles:
- Faculty Athletics Representative
Job Titles:
- Director of Cross Country / Track & Field
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach ( Sprints / Jumps )
Job Titles:
- Athletic Trainer
- Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer
Job Titles:
- Director of Game Operations
Job Titles:
- Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer
Job Titles:
- Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer
A celebrated NCAA Division II student-athlete, as well as a mentor who served five seasons on the coaching staffs of fellow NCAA Southeast Region programs prior to trekking to Pembroke, Hannah Luckett was named head coach of the UNC Pembroke golf program in May 2021.
Luckett made the short trip to Pembroke from South Carolina where she served as head coach of Newberry during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. She joined the coaching staff for the Wolves as an associate head coach prior to the 2017-18 campaign.
Luckett has helped lead the Wolves to 13 top-5 finishes over the last four seasons in central South Carolina, including victories at a trio of events. The 2018-19 campaign was especially noteworthy as Newberry registered its second-best campaign in program history with a .723 win-loss percentage and a 313.6 stroke average. The program captured two wins that season as well, while also finishing sixth among the 11-team field at the South Atlantic Conference Championships. Nabila Inak, who finished in a tie for seventh at that event, would eventually earn the program's first all-America crown in three seasons as well.
Prior to her stint at Newberry, Luckett served as an assistant coach during the 2016-17 season for both the men's and women's programs at Limestone where she mentored six All-Conference Carolinas selections, while also welcoming a freshman class that was ranked as the No. 1 Freshman Impact Women's Class by GolfStat.com. The Limestone men's program rattled off seven top-5 finishes in 2016-17, while the women registered a quartet of top-5 finishes, including a runner-up spot at the Conference Carolinas Championships.
A four-time all-conference, three-time Conference Carolinas all-tournament team member and three-time captain for Limestone from 2012-16, Luckett compiled a 78.62 stroke average across 35 events and 79 rounds of golf over her impressive collegiate career, while also logging 17 finishes inside the top 10 (7 top-5 finishes). Luckett led the Saints to a trio of Conference Carolinas championships, including the program's first-ever league title in 2014, while also pacing the club to a team appearance in the 2016 NCAA postseason as well. She finished second on the individual leaderboard at both the 2014 and 2015 Conference Carolinas Championships as well.
A native of Hillsboro, Ill., Luckett earned her bachelor's degree in sport management from Limestone in 2016.
Job Titles:
- Assistant AD / Marketing Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Graduate Assistant Coach ( Defense )
Job Titles:
- Certified Athletic Trainer
- Head Athletic Trainer, English E. Jones Center
Joey Tamburo enters his ninth year at UNC Pembroke and second as an associate athletic trainer in the 2020-21 academic year after serving as an assistant athletic trainer for four years. Tamburo, who also serves as a lecturer in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department, has been charged with the day-to-day responsibilities of men's and women's cross country and men's basketball.
Tamburo, who spent three years as an athletic training student at UNCP during his undergraduate studies, made the move back to North Carolina following a stint as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. During his two years at Washington and Jefferson, he provided primary coverage to football, field hockey and wrestling, while also being responsible for team coverage for the men's and women's basketball teams, track and field squad and women's water polo team. As a graduate assistant Tamburo supervised seven athletic training students as a clinical instructor and ensured appropriate sports medicine care for all student-athletes.
He gained additional athletic training experience as the head athletic trainer at Moniteu High School in West Sunbury, Pa., and worked at the NovaCare Rehabilitation Center in Butler, Pa. While at Moniteau, Tamburo covered over 10 varsity sports by recognizing, evaluating and managing all injuries and return-to-play situations. He implemented and demonstrated rehabilitation protocols and exercise regimes for patients at NovaCare, while also working directly with physical therapists and patients of all age groups.
Tamburo, a nationally certified athletic trainer, earned his bachelor's degree in athletic training from UNCP in 2011 and earned his masters from California (Pa.) in 2012. He is a certified performance enhancement specialist and lifeguard, and has also received CPR/AED certifications. Tamburo is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society. He has volunteered his time at high school athletic training camps and served as the treasure of the graduate student association during graduate school. Tamburo currently resides in Pembroke.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Assistant AD / Internal Affairs
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Associate Head Coach ( Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks )
Job Titles:
- Director of Football Operations
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
At just 18 years old, Leary qualified for the National Olumpic Distance Champsionships and has completed five 70.3-mile half-Ironmans since he turned 17. He is now is setting his sights on the full 140.6-mile Ironman event.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Graduate Assistant
Job Titles:
- Director of Creative Services
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Assistant AD / Game Operations & Administration
Job Titles:
- Director of Mental Health Care Services & Counseling
Job Titles:
- Head Athletic Trainer, Caton Fieldhouse
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Athletic Trainer
Having served previously as a graduate assistant athletic trainer and an athletic training undergraduate student at UNCP, Musselwhite enters his fifth year as an assistant athletic trainer for UNC Pembroke in 2021-22 with the sport assignments of baseball and golf.
A nationally certified athletic trainer, he also is BOC, First Aid, CPR/AED certified and a member of the National Athletic Training Association (NATA), Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association (MAATA) and the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association (NCATA).
During his clinical experience, he worked with the football, wrestling and women's basketball teams at UNCP along with sideline medical coverage for Purnell Swett High School. He obtained experience with developing and implementing rehabilitation place for injured athletes, executed concussion testing and maintained daily documentation and SOAP notes.
As an undergrad, he gained valuable experience in his work with student-athletes, coaches and administrators. He has logged time in using the Sportsware online injury tracking software, BODPOD body composition software, the Cybex Isokinetic Dynamometer software and operation of the Swimex rehab pool.
As a graduate assistant, Musselwhite worked with the football and sprit squad programs at UNCP.
Musselwhite received his bachelor's degree in athletic training from UNCP in 2014 and was a member of the UNCP honor's list. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at UNCP and resides in Lumberton.
Job Titles:
- Associate Athletic Communications Director
- Athletic Communications Contact
- Member of the PBC Presidential Honor Roll
A two-term president of UNC Pembroke's chapter of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), as well as a multi-sport student-athlete for the Black & Gold from 2013-18, Morgan Sheehan was named Assistant Athletic Communications Director in February 2019. Sheehan was promoted to associate athletic communications director in May 2020.
Sheehan handles the day-to-day responsibilities for the men's and women's cross country, women's basketball, soccer, softball, golf, and the men's and women's track & field programs for the Braves.
The Swansboro native gained extensive experience on campus prior to being named to her current post. In addition to her two-year stint (2016-18) as SAAC president, she also served as a graduate assistant for the women's cross country team in Fall 2017, and then took on a role as graduate assistant in the Health and Human Performance Department the following spring. She remained on campus in Fall 2018 as an intern in the athletic communications department.
In addition to her roles in the English E. Jones Center, she was also the associate news producer for Carolina News Today during the 2015-16 academic year, and spent the following summer as an intern at ISportsNC where she provided media coverage for local athletic events, as well as shot and edited video footage for news packages.
A three-time member of the PBC Presidential Honor Roll, Sheehan was named to the UNCP honor roll following each of her final six semesters as an undergraduate on campus. She also earned a pair of PBC Sportsmanship Awards, was a three-time selection to the UNCP Chancellor's List, and earned the Chancellor's Award as a member of the track & field team in 2018. She was also nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year following her final year of athletic eligibility in 2018 as well.
Sheehan, who was also a member of the women's tennis team for two seasons (2013-15), graduated from UNCP with a bachelor's degree in mass communications in 2016, and completed her master's degree in physical education from UNCP in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Interim Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Associate AD / Game Operations & Administration
- Facilities & Grounds
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Athletics Health Care Administrator
Job Titles:
- Associate AD / Communications & Strategic Initiatives
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Communications Contact
Embarking on his 25th year in the athletic communications field, Todd Anderson begins his 16th season at the helm of the UNC Pembroke athletics communications department. He was hired as the school's sports information director in 2006, was promoted to assistant athletics director for communications prior to the start of the 2011-12 academic year and additionally to associate athletics director at the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
While he oversees the athletic media relations efforts for all of UNCP's 16 varsity athletic teams, Anderson handles the day-to-day responsibilities for the football, wrestling, men's basketball, volleyball, swimming, and baseball programs for the Braves. He has also served on several committees, including the Integrated Marketing (Licensing) Committee.
Prior to accepting his current position, Anderson served nine years in the athletic media relations departments at two Southeastern Conference (NCAA Division I) schools - first as a student assistant/intern at Alabama and then as an assistant athletic media relations director at Mississippi State. He was charged with the day-to-day athletic media relations responsibilities for the nationally-ranked women's soccer and softball programs for both the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs. He also assisted in the game day operations for the football, baseball and basketball programs at each institution as well.
The recipient of six national publications awards for his media and recruiting guides at both Alabama and Mississippi State, including two "Best In The Nation" laurels, Anderson also has experience serving as the official scorer for six SEC Women's Soccer Tournaments, as well as three NCAA Softball regional tournaments. He also served a two-year stint as the coordinator for CoSIDA's publications and poster contests, as well as a designated role on both CoSIDA's Olympic sports and membership committees.
A sports reporter and editor for the student newspaper at Alabama, The Crimson White, Anderson has considerable writing experience, including correspondent work for ESPN.com, Collegiate Sports Partners and The Birmingham News. He continues to build on his sports writing skills in Pembroke as a prep football correspondent for both The Robesonian (Lumberton, N.C.) and The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He was the recipient of two awards during his time with The Crimson White - the 1995 Most Improved Sports Staff Member and the 1996 Most Valuable Sports Staff Member.
Anderson earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Alabama in 1998 and his master's degree in physical education from UNC Pembroke in 2013. He currently serves as the national coordinator for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 and all-America programs. He also serves as an adjunct professor in UNC Pembroke's Department of Kinesiology.
Anderson currently resides in Lumberton with his dogs, Barron, Sadie and Roscoe.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Student Assistant
Job Titles:
- Facility Manager / English E. Jones Center
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Associate Head Coach
A six-year veteran on the coaching staff for the Braves, including a stint this past season as the interim head coach, Tony Jones will begin his seventh year with the Black & Gold in 2020-21 as an associate head coach.
Jones, who originally joined the program as a student assistant coach prior to the 2014-15 campaign, took over as interim head coach in November 2019 and led the Braves to a 24-6 record and their first outright Peach Belt Conference regular season title. The Black & Gold closed out the season by capturing 17 of its last 19 regular season contests on the way to claiming the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional. He was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Jones was named one of the 50 Most Impactful Division II Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in July 2020.
After excelling as a student assistant coach in his first season with the Braves in 2014-15, Jones was promoted to graduate assistant coach for the 2015-16 campaign and his added duties included coordinating practice plans and drills, while also managing graduate and student assistants. He also served an integral role in the recruiting efforts for the program as well.
A testament to his organizational and time management skills, Jones also ran UNCP's men's basketball club program which posted a 45-7 (.865) record over two seasons (2015-17), while also picking up multiple tournament championships. The club also attained a No. 1 ranking in the southeast region by winning the title at a Georgia Tech-hosted tournament in 2017.
Jones earned his bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science from UNCP in 2015 and earned his master's degree in physical education in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Director of Braves Club Annual Giving
Job Titles:
- Director, UNCP Sports Network