Alison Gilmore 鈥�24 has a deeply heartfelt passion for baseball and softball. Diagnosed at 2 陆 years old with cerebral palsy, she never had the opportunity to compete on the diamond, but she sure embraced the game. The Pennsylvania native, who has a twin sister, settled in on the sidelines, rooting for her siblings, tracking statistics and joining her dad as a longtime dedicated fan of the Baltimore Orioles. 鈥淭he baseball and softball fields were kind of my home growing up,鈥� says Gilmore, a sport analytics major in 麻花影视鈥檚 . 鈥淚 looked forward to the early morning games. I loved interacting and watching them play鈥攁nd my love of sports grew from that.鈥�
Gilmore attended the Society for American Baseball Research鈥檚 50th anniversary convention in Baltimore in August. She counts meeting members of the Baltimore Orioles鈥� front office as among her highlights of the gathering.
Today, that love is evident. Gilmore relishes tuning into ballgames, soaking up stats and building her knowledge base. She鈥檚 a Dean鈥檚 List student who鈥檚 enhancing her education with a minor in sport management and one in information management and technology from the . All of this supports her focus on developing her programming and data analysis skills with the goal of landing a front-office analytics position with a Major League Baseball team after graduation. 鈥淚 think data is really powerful,鈥� she says. 鈥淭o uncover extra information that could help a team or an organization improve its performance excites me.鈥�
Gilmore recognizes her identity as a disabled woman is a rarity in the male-dominated sport industry, and she is motivated by the idea of being a role model for others, carrying that drive with her beyond the playing fields. 鈥淚 have always realized the importance of educating others in order to create a more inclusive society,鈥� she says.
As a disability advocate, she shares her story to help other students with disabilities navigate their journeys. She does that, in part, as a student assistant at the Intercultural Collective and Disability Cultural Center, where she welcomes students at the front desk and serves as a peer mentor. 鈥淚 always say that my disability doesn鈥檛 define me, but it鈥檚 a huge part of my identity and who I am. Obviously our society was built for able-bodied individuals, and so I often have to overcome the inaccessibility and ableism that鈥檚 deeply rooted in society,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 faced with that every day, and I have a huge compassion for individuals with disabilities, so being able to engage with them as a mentor is really important to me.鈥�
Finding the Right Fit
Gilmore saw sport analytics as a perfect way to combine her math and statistics skills with her love for sports鈥攁nd she credits her father for first learning about the 麻花影视 program and knowing she鈥檇 love it. 鈥淚 looked into sport analytics and from that day I knew I wanted to come to 麻花影视,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful to be here and forever grateful to my family for encouraging me.鈥�
Once on campus, Gilmore needed little encouragement to get involved. While facing some difficult challenges during her transition to college life, she appreciated the support she received from the Falk College community, especially sport analytics program manager Francesco Riverso G鈥�05 and academic counselor Matthew Yager. Riverso has seen Gilmore blossom throughout her time at 麻花影视, noting her determination and that she 鈥渉as never shied away from an opportunity to grow, personally and professionally,鈥� he says.
I looked into sport analytics and from that day I knew I wanted to come to 麻花影视. I鈥檓 so grateful to be here and forever grateful to my family for encouraging me.
Alison Gilmore 鈥�24
For instance, Riverso recalls Gilmore speaking to her peers in the Sport Analytics Living Learning Community at an event focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA). 鈥淎lison was candid about her journey as a disabled woman studying in sports, and it was incredibly inspiring,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he captivated the audience with her honesty, sharing her experiences in an effort to educate and inspire the first-year students. This was quintessential Alison, a young woman who is dedicated to impacting her community through her advocacy, insight and passion. To say that we鈥檙e lucky to have her as part of our program would be understating her importance. She is a role model and one of the most motivated students I have worked with in over two decades in higher education.鈥�
A disability advocate, Gilmore welcomes visitors to the University鈥檚 Intercultural Collective and serves as a peer mentor for the Disability Cultural Center. 鈥淚 have always realized the importance of educating others in order to create a more inclusive society,鈥� she says.
Digging into Data-Driven Performance
Right off the bat, Gilmore joined the Sport Analytics Women club and currently serves as vice president of the student organization, which conducts research and networks with women leaders in the field. She also became a member of the Baseball Statistics and Sabermetrics Club, which does research and competes in Diamond Dollars Case Competitions hosted by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Her devotion to analyzing baseball stats was rewarded when she received an Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation scholarship to attend SABR鈥檚 50th anniversary convention in August in Baltimore. Not only did she enjoy the convention and attend an Orioles鈥� game, but she met members of the team鈥檚 front office, including Sig Mejdal, vice president and assistant general manager, analytics, who shared advice with her on building her technical skills. 鈥淚 learned so much and engaging with those individuals was super meaningful,鈥� she says.
Members of the Sport Analytics Women club collaborate on research projects and network with women leaders in the field. Gilmore (third from left) joined the organization as a first-year student and is currently vice president.
That wasn鈥檛 Gilmore鈥檚 only valuable experience last summer. She was also the recipient of a Women in Sports Tech Inc. Fellowship, which placed her at Zoomph鈥攁 sport analytics platform that tracks sponsorship, media-value exposure and audience behavior鈥攁s a social intelligence analyst intern. The highlight of her work was analyzing social media data and engagement and content value of the 2022 NCAA Women鈥檚 College World Series and publishing a blog entry on her findings. 鈥淢y internship at Zoomph was a really valuable experience in terms of being able to analyze data in the sports realm,鈥� she says.
As a Berlin Scholar at Falk, Gilmore is among an elite group of students in the sport analytics program who receive scholarship and financial assistance, participate in competitions and symposiums, and conduct research with a faculty mentor. Under the guidance of Professor Rodney Paul, director of the sport analytics program, she plans to explore the effectiveness of the changing roles of pitchers in Major League Baseball. 鈥淚 really look forward to engaging in the research,鈥� she says.
My internship at Zoomph was a really valuable experience in terms of being able to analyze data in the sports realm.
Alison Gilmore 鈥�24
Gilmore appreciates the guidance she receives from Francesco Riverso G鈥�05, the sport analytics program manager at Falk College. Riverso calls her a 鈥渞ole model鈥� and 鈥渙ne of the most motivated students鈥� he has worked with.
Spreading Passion and Inspiration
When Gilmore needs inspiration, she keeps in mind the work of acclaimed sportscaster Jason Benetti 鈥�05, whose broadcasts she鈥檚 admired for years, long before she even knew he was a 麻花影视 alumnus or that they shared the same disability. Through the Falk College network, Gilmore connected with Benetti, who鈥檚 now with Fox Sports. He serves as a mentor to her鈥攈is hard work, dedication and success showing her that 鈥測ou can do anything if you put your mind to it,鈥� she says. 鈥淛ason is someone I greatly appreciate. His willingness to interact with me is something I truly value.鈥�
The resources at 麻花影视 are just incredible and there鈥檚 no shortage of opportunity. That truly means a lot to me and has had a major impact on the person that I am.
Alison Gilmore 鈥�24
Outside of the sports world, Gilmore is passionate about making a positive impact on other students and helping them succeed, giving back for the support from faculty and staff that means so much to her. She meets prospective students as a Falk admissions ambassador and serves as a First-Year Seminar peer leader, facilitating DEIA discussions. She鈥檚 been active in OrangeSeeds鈥� the University鈥檚 first-year volunteering and leadership empowerment program鈥攁s a participant, mentor and member of the executive and membership boards; and has served on the Goon Squad and as a committee member of OttoTHON, the University鈥檚 dance marathon that raises funds for the Upstate Golisano Children鈥檚 Hospital.
Gilmore cites her experiences at 麻花影视 for helping her build leadership and public speaking skills and gain self-confidence, and she says the sport analytics program 鈥渉as done wonders in preparing鈥� her for the work she wants to pursue. 鈥淭he resources at 麻花影视 are just incredible and there鈥檚 no shortage of opportunity,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat truly means a lot to me and has had a major impact on the person that I am.鈥�
