HWS News
29 August 2024 Launching a Sports Analytics Career By Hope Von Dohlen '26
Natalie Haythorn ’25 secures an internship with Rochester Americans, the fourth oldest franchise in the AHL.
With a desire to work in the field of sports analytics, Natalie Haythorn ’25 was thrilled to land an internship with the Rochester Americans, the fourth oldest franchise in the American Hockey League. The credit-bearing position begins this fall and runs through March in Rochester, N.Y.
“I am excited to begin this internship with the Rochester Americans and see where the experience leads me in my interest to work in the field of professional athletics,” says Haythorn, a Management and Entrepreneurship major with a double minor in Data Analytics and Sociology.
Last spring, as part of her “Data Analytics” capstone project, Haythorn and her classmates created an app for the Hobart volleyball team that is used to generate real-time game statistics. That experience, she says, sparked the realization of a “potential point of interest for post-graduation employment.” She also researched the topic as part of an independent study project for the William Smith volleyball team under the direction of Professor of Geoscience Nan Crystal Arens.
Haythorn applied for the seat with the Americans after discussing her career interests with her adviser, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Thomas Drennen and networking with alumni through the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education.
During the internship with the Americans, Haythorn is eager to apply new strategies in marketing, business development, customer satisfaction and data analysis.
On campus, Haythorn is a captain of the William Smith tennis team, playing a crucial role for the Herons in the No. 2 singles and doubles positions. She has been named to the Liberty League All-Academic team in back-to-back years and was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2024.
She also works as an announcer for WHWS-FM, the Colleges’ radio station, providing play-by-play coverage for William Smith field hockey, soccer and ice hockey. She is co-president of the startup Fund Committee through the Centennial Center, volunteers at the Geneva Community Lunch Program and is a civic leader through the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning.
