From Campus to Competition: USSU Alumni at the Paris Olympics

As the Paris 2024 Olympics concluded in August, a trio of United States Sports University alumni were representing the university in their influential roles in the global sporting event. Scott Novack, LaTanya Sheffield, and Dr. Noemi Zaharia, OLY each bringing their unique expertise and dedication, left a significant impact on the Games. Their contributions demonstrated USSA’s commitment to developing exceptional sports professionals who excel on the world stage.

Scott Novack: Enhancing Team USA Rugby’s Competitive Edge
Scott Novack, the Program Operations Manager for the USA Rugby Men’s Eagles Sevens team, played a significant role in the team’s preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Novack’s responsibilities encompass overseeing daily operations, coordinating logistics, and ensuring that the team is equipped with everything needed to perform at their best. His role was vital in optimizing the team’s performance and ensuring smooth operations both on and off the field.
Novack earned his master’s degree in sports management
from USSU in 1997 and was the university’s 2018 Alumnus of the Year. He has a track record of enhancing team efficiency and success. His strategic approach and meticulous planning are set to bolster the Eagles Sevens’ competitive edge, and his efforts reflect a deep understanding of the complexities involved in high-level sports management and his commitment to developing excellence in rugby.
Novack has more than 18 years of experience as a sports administrator, managing Olympic and national teams that have won eight Olympic medals, seven world championships and more than 60 World Cup medals. In addition to his work with USA Rugby, Novack also spent time in similar roles with USA Bobsled, USA Taekwondo, and with USA’s modern pentathlon team.
Novack said his USSU master’s degree and London mentorship played a significant role in his professional career in high performance and sports operations management, as well as his employment at USA Rugby, his second stint at the organization.
“My USSU degree and mentorship program really set me up for a good career,” Novack said. “The experience I got, especially during mentorship in London, was invaluable. Getting my master’s degree from USSU helped me to meet the people I needed to meet, which led to my career.” This was Novack’s eighth Olympics as an administrator and team leader for Team USA. “Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, and with it being recognized by the Olympics now, there’s a huge movement of popularity here. It’s always an honor to represent the United States at the Olympics.”

LaTanya Sheffield: Leading Team USA’s Track and Field Aspirations
LaTanya Sheffield stepped into the spotlight as the Head Coach for Team USA’s women’s track and field at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Sheffield’s role involved not only coaching athletes to peak performance but also mentoring them through the rigorous demands of Olympic competition. Her expertise was essential in preparing the team for a successful showing on the world stage.
In Paris, the U.S. captured a combined 34 track and field medals, the most for the team since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Sheffield earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management from USSU in 2011 and was named the university’s 2016 Alumna of the Year. Her career has been marked by her exceptional coaching skills and dedication to athlete development. Sheffield’s leadership was instrumental in guiding the athletes through the challenges of the Games and securing their place among the world’s elite competitors. In addition to her work with Team USA, she is also the head track and field coach at Long Beach State University.
Sheffield is also an Olympian, having been a finalist in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. She finished eighth with a time of 54.36 seconds. Sheffield also represented the United States at
the 1987 World Championships.
She is a two-time gold medalist at the Olympic Sports Festival in 1987 and 1993 and won a bronze medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. Sheffield established an American record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles in 1985 with a run of 54.66 seconds.
She excelled in track at San Diego State University (SDSU), where she was a two-time All-American and 1985 NCAA Champion in the 400-meter hurdles. She was inducted into the SDSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
“It made sense for me to pursue my degree at the United States Sports University, so I could coach at a whole other level,” she said. “The program helped me to press for excellence and was important in getting my job at Long Beach State. The Academy also helped me achieve a more complete understanding of what modern student-athletes go through and prepared me academically to be a better coach.”

Dr. Noemi Zaharia: Managing the OLY House Experience
USSA Director of Sport Leadership and faculty member Dr. Noemi Zaharia, OLY reated and managed the e-OLY house, which is a virtual platform for world Olympians to congregate and network during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Additionally, she organized and presented the panel discussion “Embracing Olympism: From Sporting Achievement to Life’s Successes” with three other Olympians, including Edwin Moses, Laurel Brassey Iverson, and Javier Raya as well as Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin, the president of the Association Familiale Pierre de Coubertin. Dr. Zaharia also presented the preliminary research that she and Dr. Cristian Zaharia are currently conducting on leadership skills of Olympic athletes at the OLY House.
Zaharia earned her doctorate in sports management from USSU in 2020. She is an Olympic medalist, whose impressive swimming record includes two medals in swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, winning silver in the 400 meter mixed and bronze in the 200 meter mixed for Romania. She also won five gold medals, two bronze medals and MVP honors in swimming at the 1987 Summer Universiade in Yugoslavia. She also competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
“The USSU faculty challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and reach for a higher level of academic excellence,” Zaharia said. “USSA helped my evolution as a professor permitting me to insert my personal experiences for the betterment of future generations of teachers, coaches and sports professionals.”