UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has announced the appointment of Kayla Matrunick as assistant athletic director for Performance Nutrition Services.
Matrunick is a Penn State graduate who was a member of the Nittany Lions’ women’s cross-country and track and field teams from 2001-05. She is joining the Intercollegiate Athletics staff after serving as the director of sports nutrition at the University of Louisville for the past two and a half years. Prior to Louisville, Matrunick was at the University of Notre Dame for four years, serving as director of sports nutrition her final two years.
In her role with the Nittany Lions, Matrunick is charged with overseeing all aspects of performance nutrition for approximately 800 student-athletes across 31 programs. Matrunick will supervise performance nutrition education and counseling for the student-athletes, coaches and sport performance practitioners and direct all day-to-day performance nutrition-related activities.
Matrunick will develop nutritional strategies essential to maximizing performance, including enhancing and monitoring current nutrition resources and support, and develop and implement policies and protocols that ensure compliance with NCAA and Big Ten Conference rules and regulations.
“We are elated Kayla will be leading our Performance Nutrition unit,” said Charmelle Green, senior associate AD for Student-Athlete Performance, Health and Welfare. “In addition to her education in nutrition, and background as an elite athlete, she also brings tremendous experience in developing and leading performance nutrition programs at Notre Dame and Louisville.
“Along with serving as a member of our Sport Performance team, Kayla will be responsible for delivering nutritional resources to our 800-plus student-athletes and fostering the strong partnerships Intercollegiate Athletics has developed with the College of Health and Human Development’s Department of Nutrition, and other units across campus that are committed to the nutritional education, health and well-being of students.”
“I am thrilled to return to Happy Valley and give back to the University that gave so much to me,” Matrunick said. “As a student-athlete at Penn State, I was taught to dream BIG, to be a difference maker, and execute my vision. Penn State has a rich academic and athletic culture and this position provides the opportunity to elevate both, in the classroom and on the field.”
Matrunick also will serve as an instructor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences in the College of Health and Human Development and will develop content and be responsible for teaching an undergraduate Sports Nutrition course and assist in the recruitment of nutrition students.
Matrunick will work closely with Penn State student-athletes, coaches and staff. She will be a member of the Nittany Lions’ Sport Performance team comprised of the sports medicine, athletic training, performance enhancement, sports psychology, student-athlete welfare and development, and applied health and performance science personnel.
From Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Matrunick is a certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and holds several memberships, including with the Collegiate & Professional Sports Dietitians Association. Her dietetic internship was completed via the Mayo Clinic’s School of Health Sciences.
Matrunick earned a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences and applied nutrition from Penn State in 2005 and a master’s degree in sports psychology from the University of Tennessee. As a Nittany Lion student, she earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades, won 11 letters and was recognized as Penn State’s Outstanding Senior in Nutrition.
She will begin her duties with ICA later this month.