DUDLEY, Mass. (10/8/2026) - Nichols College class of 2025 graduate from the women's soccer team, Taylor Pickering, joined the Division of Athletics as the Internal Operations Graduate Assistant this fall.
When asked about her opportunity to return as staff after graduating, she shared, "It was super fun to come into this graduate assistant role immediately after finishing my undergraduate at Nichols. Being able to work within an environment where I can see the interworking of athletics and be a support staff figure for the athletes is a great part of my job."
Recently, Pickering found herself a published author of a peer-reviewed paper that she had worked on in a seminar class during her undergraduate studies. Her fellow class of 2025 graduate Kaelyn Casper had originally started the study as a look into 34 athletes, freshman versus senior, through every team using the force plates using the data to measure fatigue and readiness.
The effort and focus group grew as Kevin Mentzer, David Hodge, and TJ Cahill were more than happy to contribute to the research. Director of Sports Performance and Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Cahill added, "Having the access to thousands of data points via our VALD Force Decks system provides our students here at Nichols College with tangible, real data to analyze. Projects like these, whether for course credit or just for the experience, help our Sport Performance staff make data-informed decisions in testing and monitoring our student-athletes, and can contribute valuable and applicable research to the field of Sport Performance."
Pickering was eager to make use of this data as she explained, "We didn't always have force plates, it is cool to see the data that we can use to give strength and conditioning more recognition."
For Pickering, the opportunity to return to Nichols has provided a unique full-circle experience, allowing her to continue contributing to the athletic department while building on the work she began as a student. From competing on the women's soccer team and already having helped with communications game day roles and assisting in the athletic trainers room, Pickering's experience will continue to bring value to The Hill.
