Women's Volleyball | 8/18/2020 10:19:00 AM

    INDIANAPOLIS – A standout in the classroom and on the volleyball court, recent West Liberty University graduate Olivia Baumhoer has taken her talents to the national level.
    Baumhoer is one of just 30 former NCAA student-athletes to earn a spot in the prestigious 2020-21 NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program. She will spend the next 12 months working at the NCAA national office as a Communications intern focusing on Digital Strategy and Design.
    The Hudson, Ohio native is a 2020 WLU graduate who earned dual bachelor's degrees in Digital Media Design and Broadcasting while excelling with the Hilltoppers' rising women's volleyball program. A dominant force at the net who earned MEC All-Tournament honors as a sophomore, Baumhoer racked up more than 800 kills and nearly 200 blocks during a stellar 4-year career.
    Extremely active on campus, she served as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was Marketing Director and Panhellenic Delegate for Chi Omega and a Student Ambassador for West Liberty Admissions.
    Baumhoer won several awards for her video work at the West Virginia Media Arts & Design Festival throughout her college career. She took first place in the Short Film segment at the 2018 Festival, was runner-up in Animation in 2019 and placed third in Video in 2020. She also interned in Washington, D.C. with "To the Contrary," a PBS program focusing on women leaders and issues.
    The NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program annually provides on-the-job learning experiences at the national office to college graduates who are passionate in their pursuit of a career in college sports administration.
    NCAA postgraduate interns are nonexempt employees with benefits who receive comprehensive training, mentor assignments and networking opportunities throughout the internship. They also plan and execute professional development site visits to conference offices, member campuses and affiliate organizations to further their knowledge of the collegiate sports industry and network with today's leaders.
    Alumni of the postgraduate internship program have gone on to fill influential roles within collegiate athletics on campus and within conferences, in professional sports organizations and in businesses outside the realm of athletics.
    Organizations that have hired recent interns include the Southeastern Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the NFL, the WNBA, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, USA Basketball, Women Leaders in College Sports, ESPN, Converse, and many Division I, II and III schools. In addition, 50 former interns now work at the NCAA national office in full-time roles.
    The West Liberty University volleyball program was recently honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as one of the top academic programs in the nation for the sixth consecutive year.