Sports Product Design Graduate Student Profiles

Growing up in Denver, Colorado, Clara has always had a love for sport, movement, and an active lifestyle. As an athlete, she grew up swimming competitively—the pool gave her not only a deep sense of peace but also the ability to tap into strength, discipline, and competitive drive. 

Clara pursued a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Missouri, guided by her passion for creating to serve others. Fascinated by how things, systems, and people move, she is driven to optimize this space by pinpointing areas for improvement and implementing creative solutions. She believes that when you connect people, the products they use, and the ways they are made, you open a powerful space for innovation. Her focus is on designing products that bring people closer to movement by supporting the human body in all the different ways it moves. 

LinkedIn 

Abbey grew up in the suburbs of Chicago with a love for sports, crafts, and outdoor activities. Whether she was at her own sports practice, absorbed in an art project, or cheering for a Chicago sports team, she was in her element. 

Abbey graduated from Carthage College with a degree in Graphic Design. Her creativity and love for sports led her to spend most of her undergraduate years working for her school’s athletic department, where she concentrated on her graphic design and photography skills from the sidelines. She had the opportunity to both photograph and compete in several NCAA Division III Championships during her time at Carthage on the Track & Field team. She spent the last five summers gaining experience as a gymnastics coach, giving back to the sport she dedicated her younger years to in any way possible. She looks forward to combining her design experience with her athletic perspective to create products that address real challenges athletes encounter on their road to success. 

Abbey’s Website 

Sam was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. At three years old, he learned to ski and spent his childhood surfing, hiking, and participating in a variety of outdoor and team sports. His lifelong use of sports products sparked a deep curiosity about the design process behind the gear he relied on. 

Sam pursued a bachelor's degree in Planning, Public Policy and Management with a minor in Geography at the University of Oregon. His studies emphasized accessibility, sustainability, and communication, shaping the way one thinks about design. As a student, he joined the University’s ski team, further strengthening his appreciation for the products that enhanced his performance. Sam is particularly interested in designing equipment and apparel for outdoor sports. He aims to create products where style, performance, and sustainability work together to elevate the user experience. 

www.linkedin.com/in/sam-calkins-7321a3208 

Originally from Sterling, VA, Ethan’s passion for active, outdoor living began on the soccer field, though recurring injuries limited his ability to participate in the activities he loved. Soon realizing that this was a widespread issue, he understood that there was a global need for change. Ethan earned a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Virginia Tech, gaining hands-on experience in biomechanics research both there and at the University of Virginia. This sparked his curiosity into how scientific insight could translate into dynamic solutions. Exploring this in his capstone project, he designed and fabricated a custom full-body brace for a veteran with osteoarthritis, blending physiology, user-centered design, and tailoring techniques. 

Emphasizing safety and comfort, Ethan is committed to developing innovative footwear and apparel for soccer, running, and beyond. He plans to combine biomechanics, anatomy, research, and design to give people of all backgrounds the confidence to move freely and without fear. 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ethancamacho 

Choezing is from Southeast Portland, Oregon, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Product Design from Stanford University, where the focus was on health technology and user experience. Her design approach spans digital and physical mediums, rooted in human-centered principles and a vision of using products as tools for storytelling and connection. She is especially interested in how sports products can share athletes’ stories in ways that resonate with communities and create inclusive products that celebrate the human side of sports and wellness.  

When she is not working in the studio, she enjoys wandering and wondering, often on road trips, reading a book, playing basketball, or shooting film.  

www.choezing.com  

www.linkedin.com/in/tenzing-choezing  

Leveraging his passion for sports and the outdoors, Will creates innovative, user-centered products that push the boundaries of performance and design. As a former All-American lacrosse player, a surfer, snowboarder, diver, and recent climber, he pairs firsthand athletic experience with design expertise to better understand the needs of those pushing their limits. With a degree in Product Design from the University of Oregon, he brings a versatile skill set spanning material development, graphic design, 3D modeling, photography, sewing, and metal work. 

Looking ahead, Will is focused on designing gear and apparel for extreme sports where durability, innovation, and performance are critical. His strengths in ideation, competitiveness, and strategy drive him to develop solutions athletes can trust at the highest level. He envisions a future where he can contribute bold, high-performance solutions that elevate both athletes and the sports they love. 

https://studio-curtis.com/

Growing up on a farm in Hillsboro, Oregon, Elliot developed a hands-on approach to problem-solving and a passion for making things. This led him to attend Oregon State University, where he earned a Mechanical Engineering degree with a focus in product design and manufacturing. During his time there, he developed skills in woodworking, 3D modeling, sketching, and machining operations. In addition, he gained valuable leadership experience acting as the President of the OSU Club Baseball team. 

Elliot played basketball, baseball, and soccer growing up and is now an avid golfer. His passion for sports, combined with his technical expertise, has fueled his interest in designing innovative products that enhance athletic performance. He is particularly drawn to creating equipment and footwear that balance functionality, usability, and creativity. Through the Sports Product Design program, Elliot aims to merge his engineering background with design thinking to pursue a career developing next-generation sports products. 

www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-hildner 

Growing up and immersed in athletics in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Topher developed a deep appreciation for movement and how footwear and apparel shape performance. With a foundation in architecture (BS) and graphic design (BFA) from the University of Arkansas, he approaches footwear and apparel innovation by exploring how form, space, and visual storytelling influence athletic performance. While working with Carbon, he discovered the potential of additive manufacturing in footwear, particularly its ability to rapidly adapt to athletes’ specific and evolving needs, gaining hands-on experience in prototyping and testing designs that respond to real-world performance challenges. 

Now researching parametric design, topology optimization, and 3D-printed components in footwear and apparel, Topher is passionate about integrating principles of architecture and design while exploring new technologies to redefine how athletes experience footwear and apparel. He is excited to join the University of Oregon’s Sports Product Design program, where he looks forward to collaborating with like-minded individuals and continuing to use his diverse educational and professional experiences to create innovative and thoughtful footwear and apparel that integrate storytelling with performance-driven solutions for athletes. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/topherjacobus/ 

Jack grew up in a military family, moving frequently across the United States before eventually settling in Southern California. Inspired at a young age by the props and practical effects in sci-fi movies, he studied film production at the University of New Mexico with the goal of working in props and special effects. In his time there, Jack developed skills in woodworking, CAD modeling, 3D printing, painting, and CNC machining through work with the university’s film and theater departments as well as fabrication studios like Imperial Surplus. After earning his degree, he spent nearly two years working in the props department for film and television productions. Spending time both on set and on fabrication teams, he collaborated with companies such as Apple TV, Netflix, Nickelodeon, and A24. 

Outside of his professional work, Jack has always had a deep love for the outdoors. He grew up hiking, camping, and fly fishing, and remains passionate about connecting with nature through physical activity. That connection sparked a shift in his focus toward designing products that enhance performance and accessibility in active and outdoor environments. Now a graduate student in the Sports Product Design program, Jack is eager to explore how thoughtful innovation can improve the efficiency, safety, and longevity of both the user and the product. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-rosgen

Born and raised in Eastern Idaho, Steven spent his childhood in the wilderness hunting, fishing, and mountain biking. He also honed a passion for woodworking at an early age, a skill that continues to elevate his approach to designing and building. Studying botany and ecology at the University of Montana in Missoula, he went on to work for a decade as a botanist and biologist. During that time, Steven tested a wide range of commercially available outdoor products and equipment, often obsessing over ways to improve them and dreaming up new products to enhance the outdoor experience. He discovered a passion for sewing and apparel design during the COVID lockdown and naturally moved into developing and testing products for use in field work, experimenting with waterproofing techniques, gear efficiency, and lightweight material use.  

Combining a self-taught approach to design with a dedication to social and environmental responsibility, he plans to help make high-quality and sustainable outdoor products accessible to a wider audience. In the SPD program, Steven plans to focus on innovative apparel design and material development – finding new ways to make performance gear from natural fibers and unconventional materials. He hopes to be a catalyst for rapid change in the outdoor products world, helping to evolve sustainable design and production.   

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-schorzman-63aa4b34a/ 

Kate has a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Washington and returned in 2024 to teach in the ID program. She has worked as an industrial designer at Baden Sports, Axe Bat, and Rad Power Bikes. She is known for prioritizing the athlete’s experience in her work. This holds true both in her professional work designing baseball, softball, and cycling equipment and in her pursuits developing outdoor gear and apparel. She is dedicated to iterative prototyping and user testing to get the right result.  

As an avid lover of mountaineering, backpacking, skiing and outdoor sports, she has seen the transformative power of people’s relationship with nature, capability, and self-trust as they push themselves out of their comfort zone. She seeks to make products that marry her professional and personal experience by empowering more beginners, making inclusive fit decisions, and directing her research towards underrepresented communities.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-shreffler-1b1292101/

Ty is a multidisciplinary designer who draws on behavioral theory and multimedia storytelling to design sports products that promote exercise, competition, and community. He grew up in Mesa, Arizona, drawing custom Nike shoes for all his friends on their birthdays. Ty loved playing sports with his dad (racquetball), his friends (volleyball), and his high school teams (tennis and golf). Now he is also a triathlete, open water swimmer, SCUBA Divemaster, hiker, and pickleballer (aren’t we all at this point?). He grew up a huge fan of ASU, the Phoenix Suns, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He didn’t just love the teams; he also loved fan culture and was interested in how these communities form.  

Ty has a PhD in economics, where he has tested theories of behavioral change in large-scale field experiments in developing countries. He is an environmental economist concerned with sustainability and local governance, and worked as an expert in A-B testing for the World Bank. He investigated the attention-action gap for low-income farmers and entrepreneurs, and how to overcome that gap with good design. Similar problems exist in the market for sports products. For example, how can we help people who want to exercise follow through on that intent? As Ty returns to his interest in sports product design, he is excited to combine his background in behavior change and sustainability with designing products that facilitate performance, build community, and improve health and wellness.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ty-turley-548a0b1/  

Born in Snohomish, Washington, and shaped by the rugged landscapes of Western Colorado, Maddy has always approached sports gear with curiosity and creativity, questioning, testing, and reimagining how it can perform. As an ultra-runner, cyclist, skier, and mountaineer, she knows firsthand what it means to live in the elements and rely on equipment. These experiences, combined with her love of learning, fuel her passion to build a career in the outdoor industry. 

Maddy holds a degree in Mathematics with a minor in Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies, a combination that allows her to merge analytical precision with hands-on insight. Her problem-solving skills, paired with her outdoor pursuits provide an authentic understanding of what athletes truly need. This blend of logic, curiosity, and lived experience drives her to design outdoor products that not only will perform in the harshest conditions but also elevate the overall experience for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts alike. 

www.linkedin.com/in/maddy-watkins-aa7789334 

Yujiang was born in Shanghai, China, and grew up in an academic family that emphasized education. Excelling in his studies from an early age, he was also frequently challenged by health issues during childhood. Encouraged by his parents to strengthen his body, he explored various sports including table tennis, badminton, football, and basketball, gradually cultivating a deep passion for athletics. This passion crystallized in middle school with basketball, where he was first captivated by sneaker culture—an interest that would profoundly shape his future. 

By high school, despite maintaining strong academic performance in subjects like physics and mathematics, Zou began to feel disillusioned with a purely technical career path. Driven by a desire to turn his passion into a profession, he set his sights on becoming a sneaker designer and chose industrial design as his undergraduate major. He pursued his studies at Donghua University, renowned in China for its fashion programs. During his time there, he proactively expanded his expertise by frequently attending fashion and product design courses. Currently, Zou is furthering his education as a graduate student in the Sports Product Design program at the University of Oregon, dedicated to mastering the craft at the intersection of sport, design, and culture. 

Toluwalase Adedipe is an industrial designer specializing in sports product design, with a deep passion for innovation, storytelling, and performance-driven solutions. Born and raised in Abuja, Nigeria, and influenced by his architect father, he developed an early appreciation for creativity and problem-solving. He earned his degree in Industrial Design from the University of Houston, where his passion for footwear design flourished through his award-winning thesis project, FLYTE — a biomimetic basketball shoe inspired by dragonflies, butterflies, and geckos, earning global recognition as a winner in the 2023 Global Footwear Awards and the 2024 FIT Sports Awards. His design journey continued with certifications in Footwear Design from Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design and UI/UX Design, further refining his ability to merge technology, performance, and storytelling. 

Toluwalase has gained valuable industry experience through roles at GRIND Basketball, TUF Sports Apparel, and a 3-month internship with Under Armour, where he was recognized as Rookie of the week. As he continues to grow in the sports design industry, his career goal is to create performance footwear that balances form and function. Empowering athletes while pushing the boundaries of design. He brings strong skills in 3D modeling, storytelling, and user-centered design, as well as a commitment to building products that are both purposeful and inspiring. 

ortfolio: https://designsbytolu.com/

 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toluwalase-adedipe-345732211/  

Rachael’s designs are grounded in her own outdoor pursuits, focusing on developing products that enhance performance while remaining durable and inclusive for athletes of all levels. She earned her Bachelor of Industrial Design degree at Iowa State University, where her experience on the competitive rock-climbing team provided a supportive, down-to-earth community and demonstrated to her how time spent in nature and engaging in sports can positively impact overall well-being and mental health. This experience helped her understand how thoughtful product design can enrich the way people engage with the activities they love. 

Her experiences in college, combined with working in the sports retail market, confirmed her desire to focus on designing performance-driven gear. In her graduate studies, she has strengthened her abilities in collaboration and creative problem solving, while also developing expertise in 3D modeling, prototyping, and user research. She hopes to continue this work as an equipment designer, creating inclusive, innovative products that inspire more people to enjoy the activities they love.  

Website: https://rbelshaw.myportfolio.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelbelshaw/  

Born and raised in London, Ontario, Canada, Evan grew up very active, cycling through a variety of sports throughout his childhood. Across every sport, something was always consistent— he was fascinated by the footwear that athletes around him were wearing. He recognized how much could be communicated through the shoes you wear. 

Evan graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Product Design and a minor in Human Biology. Here he would finally convert his curiosity to action and start developing his own footwear designs. Through years of attentive research, and firsthand experience as an NCAA cross country/track and field athlete, Evan accumulated a body of knowledge he uses to inform his design choices. Evan aspires to contribute to footwear innovation in the performance running space. He aims to design for runners like himself, who seek empowerment from the shoes that they wear. 

Portfolio: Evan Burke — Portfolio  

LinkedIn: Evan Burke — LinkedIn 

Gigi grew up in Guangzhou, China. Her love for sports sparked an early fascination with footwear. By second grade, she had already memorized every pair of shoes her 53 classmates wore. Through years of basketball and other sports, she noticed how performance shoes failed to support female athletes and became determined to create better ones herself.   

Gigi earned her BFA in Oil Painting from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, where she built a strong foundation in composition, color, and visual discipline. During her internship at Anta, she gained hands-on experience in sports product manufacturing and factory processes, further advancing her technical and 3D modeling skills. Now in her second year of the Sports Product Design master’s program at the University of Oregon, Gigi is focused on creating performance footwear that integrates aesthetics with functional innovation. Her goal is to empower women and young athletes through products that enhance movement, confidence, and self-expression.  

 Portfolio: gigichendesign.com 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gigi-chen-215349331  

Emily was raised in Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Environmental Design where she focused on digital fabrication and computational design skills. After graduation, she became deeply involved in outdoor sports and conservation. One-by-one, her experiences have allowed her to see the importance and beauty in well-designed products created for active lifestyles. Recognizing the irony in the outdoor sports industry's contribution to the degradation of the environment it depends on, Emily was motivated to return to design and create innovations that can sustain both the user and the environment. 

As a second-year master's student in the Sports Product Design program, Emily has been able to create apparel, footwear, and equipment that fuse her computational design background with her love for the outdoors. Her designs are data driven yet human centered and sustainably conscious, always with consideration of the environment they are intended for. In addition to her education, she has interned and designed for an outrigger canoe athlete, assisted teaching for an undergraduate product design studio, worked as a lab technician in the digital fabrication lab, and assisted on material development and biomechanic research projects. Postgraduation, she is driven to build a career as a designer on an innovation team within the outdoor sports industry.  Outside of her time designing, you might have a hard time finding Emily, as she is often out in the wilderness, usually off skiing, snowboarding, hiking, running, backpacking, camping, biking, climbing, or trying something new.  

Portfolio: www.emerindavis.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-davis-958490159/  

With a BS in Human Physiology and experience teaching in an exercise physiology lab, KJ Fightmaster approaches design through the lens of biomechanics. Her time as an athletic trainer with the University of Oregon football team deepened her understanding of how the brain and body function under pressure at an elite level, while teaching dance and barre reinforced the nuances of individual bodies. 

KJ believes that sport isn’t reserved for elite athletes; it belongs to anyone seeking confidence, mind–body connection, and freedom in motion. This belief grew from beginning CrossFit and ice skating as an adult as well as instructing entry level dance to adults, where she got to watch people form new relationships with their bodies. In her first year as a master’s student in sports product design, KJ’s work included performance wear for aerial artists, dancers, and speed skaters with an emphasis on supporting athletes’ lifelong participation in their sport. In her second year, she continues to expand that work with designs that respect different bodies, different timelines, and the joy of practice. 

Portfolio: www.kjfightmasterdesign.com  

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kj-fightmaster  

Yue Fu was born in Shanghai, China. As a footwear designer, her goal is to develop creative concepts and structures that reflect the passion and connection athletes and consumers have for sport.   

In 2020, Yue earned her bachelor's degree in Footwear Design from the London College of Fashion, where she developed skills in pattern cutting, lasting, and design development. Since 2023, she has been working as a freelance designer with three different brands to design and develop CrossFit, lifestyle, and basketball shoes. Now in her second-year graduate studies in Sports Product Design at the University of Oregon, she is focused on leveraging biomechanics and manufacturing processes to inform her design innovations in performance footwear. Outside of school, she is a reporter for the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2025-2026 season.  

Portfolio: https://www.yuefudesign.com/  

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/yue-fu-2986a8331 

Gage Hunt graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Telecommunication. Influenced by his father’s work at Warner Bros. Studios, he pursued a career in the film production industry, gaining experience in cinematography, video editing, 3D and graphic design.  

Currently in his second year as a graduate student, Gage is focused on 3D footwear design and visualization, exploring the potential of digital tools such as Blender 3D and Rhino to create expressive, performance-driven footwear for athletes. Moving forward, he aims to build a career in 3D footwear design by combining advanced modeling techniques with parametric design principles to push the intersection of form, function, and storytelling in future footwear innovation.  

Portfolio - https://tinyurl.com/Gage-Hunt-Portfolio-2025  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gage-hunt/ 

Jacob Kauff’s passion for running combined with his eclectic background shapes his approach to design. Guided by a desire to bring depth and meaning to performance products, Jacob blends philosophy, fashion, research, and innovation to create designs that challenge convention and expand the boundaries of performance design. Prior to studying design, Jacob graduated from Pitzer College as a pre-medical student and majored in philosophy with a focus on the philosophy of aesthetics. Following graduation Jacob moved to Brooklyn, where proximity to creatives in design and fashion helped him discover his true purpose and talents. Now in his second year of graduate school studying Sports Product Design at the University of Oregon, he is focused on innovation in running and track and field apparel.    

Jacob was recently recognized as the 2025 IDSA West District Merit Award Winner and received the Core77 Design Award for innovation in performance-driven design. His work in running apparel has also earned him a FIT Sportswear Design Award, and his work was also selected for exhibition at NYC Design Week (ICFF). Additionally, Jacob was recently announced as a finalist for the 2025 Woolmark Performance Challenge Award.  

Portfolio: www.jacobkauff.com  

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jacobkauff 

Lily grew up in Chicago with a love for all team sports—especially soccer. She attended Tufts University, where she played varsity soccer while studying mechanical engineering on the pre-medicine track. After graduating Tufts, she studied sneaker pattern making and prototyping at the Arsutoria School in Milan. Through internships at Lego Education, Massachusetts General Hospital and Cedars Sinai in wearable technology, Lily’s background in fashion, sports, and engineering has allowed her to create effective wearable technology solutions that combine function and aesthetics. Her wearable technology device at Massachusetts General Hospital is currently patent pending and her research is published with the American Institute of Physics and arXiv. 

Lily is passionate about turning seemingly disparate experiences, knowledge, and perspectives into cohesive, inventive solutions that address inequities in women’s and adaptive sports. This drive has shaped her work in the Sports Product Design master's program, which spanned into designing a deaf soccer uniform that facilitates communication with coaches and adaptive outrigger canoe equipment for athletes with lower limb injuries. Now in her second year of Sports Product Design, Lily continues to use her multidisciplinary background to create innovative sports products rooted in science and shaped by the voices of athletes. When she is not in the studio, she can be found in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes or on the soccer field, because she, of course, refuses to hang up her cleats. 

Portfolio: https://www.lilykeiderling.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-keiderling-5068a017a/ 

Lauren is a sports product designer with a background in mechanical engineering and a deep love for the outdoors. Her experience includes biomimetic research on biological microstructures, directing a maker space for prototyping, and working as an innovation engineer solving complex design challenges. These roles provided her with a strong foundation in hands-on problem solving, prototyping, and applying research to practical solutions. 

Lauren’s design work focuses on high-performance gear that helps people connect with and enjoy the outdoors. Her design process is driven by curiosity and a love of discovery. She finds meaning in exploring complex problems through experimentation and iteration. Through her work, Lauren’s designs have been exhibited at NYC Design Week (ICFF 2025), awarded as a finalist in the 2025 Woolmark Performance Challenge, and honored with an FIT Sports Design Award for innovation in outdoor sports. Outside of design, she can be found rock climbing, exploring mountains, or seeking out new adventures.  

Portfolio: https://www.laurenkochaver.com/ 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/laurenkochaver 

Emily Lacomba’s passion for Sports Product Design came into focus during her time at Savannah College of Art and Design, where she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Fibers in 2023. Initially drawn to print and pattern design, her first pattern collection was born from the recognition of a significant gap in the chest binding industry. While other segments like sports bras and compression undergarments were well-served, there was a clear need for chest binders that bridged the divide between skin-tone and rainbow pride options. This collection marked Emily's initial realization of her ability to design with empathy and a purpose beyond personal interest.

Her recent work has evolved to focus on innovative knitwear, embracing the most sustainable stitch in textile construction. Emily looks to challenge conventional notions of textile permanence; Doing so by integrating technology with material design and pushing fabric and finishes to keep pace with rapid trend shifts—in place of overproduction / overconsumption.

Sport has been a central part of Emily’s life from when she started playing soccer at age three. Her design process is characterized by its similarity to how she felt playing on the pitch; a powerful flow state where passion and precision converge. She aims to infuse this intensity into her products, crafting gear that enhances athletes' and high-stakes performers' own flow states. This interaction—where Emily's flow fuels her designs and her designs empower others—creates a deeply rewarding exchange.”

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

With roots in Portland, LA, and Chicago, Lisa Ly believes that representation and access are key to empowering women and the APIDA community in sports. With curiosity, empathy, and thoughtful dialogue at the core of her design process, she creates innovative products that instill confidence and ignite performance.  

Lisa earned her BA in Cognitive Science from the University of Southern California, where she applied her understanding of perception and psychology to design toys and digital platforms. Now in her second year of the Sports Product Design master’s program at the University of Oregon, Lisa has turned the focus of her design towards women’s performance apparel and footwear design. Her recent design work centered around celebrating identity, accessibility, and mobility has been recognized globally. Lisa’s work was selected for an exhibition at NYC Design Week (ICFF 2025) as well as at the International Textiles and Apparel Association 2025 conference. Additionally, last year Lisa won multiple FIT Sports Design Awards and was named a finalist in the Woolmark Performance Challenge. When she is not in the studio, you can find Lisa chasing waterfalls or playing court sports with her family.    

Portfolio: lisalyyy.com 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisalyyy  

Growing up in Naperville, Illinois, a love for team sports shaped some of Austin’s most meaningful experiences. Through sports, he developed an appreciation for how athletics can unite communities and give athletes a platform to express themselves and their culture. He believes this connection thrives when athletes are safe, protected, and confident, which drives his commitment to designing equipment and apparel that keeps players performing at their best. Austin earned a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois in 2024. His design journey includes internships creating interactive products for child development and learning, as well as graphic design work for football helmets and athletic apparel, giving him hands-on experience in product design and visual storytelling. These experiences helped him build a strong technical foundation and a design perspective that bridges creativity and performance. Now in his second year of the Sports Product Design master’s program, he focuses on designing protective equipment and apparel that balances protection, style, and performance. His recent projects have aimed to address challenges in athlete safety while helping them feel represented in what they wear during play.  

Portfolio: www.behance.net/austinmolina1 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/austinmolina 

Jenna Passke is a second-year apparel designer from Beaverton, Oregon, passionate about women’s performance apparel and highlighting women’s achievements in sport. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she cultivated a deep love for outdoor and team sports, learning to thrive in demanding conditions. With a BA in Design Studies and a Marketing minor from Azusa Pacific University, she combines creative storytelling with technical apparel design to elevate how women experience sport.   

Jenna’s design approach centers on celebrating resilience and telling the stories of women who excel in demanding, male-dominated outdoor environments, proving that perseverance leads to breakthrough. Through her outdoor experience, Jenna designed the Crosscurrent Racing Suit for stand-up paddleboard athletes racing in the 80-Mile Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, a project selected for presentation at the 2025 International Textile and Apparel Association Conference in St. Louis. This project became the spark that launched her journey into women’s apparel design for endurance sports. Jenna strives to tell authentic stories through product design, translating women’s unique athletic journeys into apparel that blends performance, fashion, and emotion. Known for her quick decision-making and focus under pressure, Jenna designs for women who push limits and redefine them.  

Portfolio: https://jennapasske.myportfolio.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-passke-a893661b8/

Growing up in South Florida, Mia loved being outdoors and in the water. She was a competitive swimmer and rower; and played soccer and basketball with her three brothers. Frequent injuries often kept her on the sidelines, giving her a deep appreciation not only for sports, but also for products that make play safe and fun.  

Mia graduated from Dartmouth College with a major in Cognitive Science and minors in Human-Centered Design and Digital Art. After graduation, she worked at IBM as an associate designer, focusing on website design. Now in her second year of the Sports Product Design master’s program, Mia has discovered a passion for designing performance apparel for women and children. She is especially interested in helping people feel confident and protected in sport, and she has developed a kids’ ski jacket that is now patent pending and was selected through peer review to present at the International Textile and Apparel Association conference in 2025. Mia hopes to continue creating products that combine her creativity, user-centered design skills, and problem-solving ability to help people feel safe and confident while playing and performing.  

Portfolio: https://www.miaseiner.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miaseiner/ 

Sierra is an Industrial Designer from Charlotte, North Carolina, whose career began as a designer and developer within the high-end commercial furniture industry. Her design work received recognition via awards such as Best of NeoCon and Interior Design Magazine’s Best of the Year Popular Choice Winner (2024). Now a second-year master’s student in the Sports Product Design program at the University of Oregon, she has shifted her focus to creating products that enhance outdoor experiences.  

As an ultramarathoner and skier, Sierra understands the vital relationship between athletes and their gear, how fit, form, and function can define performance. Driven by a lifelong passion for the outdoors, a dedication to learning, and a belief in thoughtful design, she is motivated to create products that empower athletes of all levels to push their limits, deepen their passions, and connect through shared pursuit.  

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sierratimoney