Photo by: AJ Henderson - Georgia Southern
Southern Scribes: Honoring National Girls and Women in Sports Month - Part 2
2/13/2024 10:30:00 AM | Volleyball, Sports Medicine, Strength and Conditioning, Sport Performance
What is it like to be a woman in sports?
As we continue to look at what it is like to be a woman in sports in this second feature, we are highlighting some of our essential female staff members.
Being both a former student-athlete and a current member of the athletics staff is something all four of these women have in common. They have had more time to gain perspective on the experience of women in athletics and now they have the opportunity to be a part of influencing that experience themselves. In this feature, they tell us what being a woman in sports—and working in sports—means to them, how they were inspired to get to where they are and what they have to say to the next generation of women in sports.
Taylor Sherwin is an associate head coach with the Georgia Southern Eagles' volleyball team. She came to Southern with prior coaching experience under Chad Willis and has helped lead the Eagles to some of their best season results, including selection to the NIVC Tournament in the 2023 season. But for Taylor, being a coach, and a woman in sports, is about more than winning; it's about giving back.
"It's an honor to give back to something that has taught me and given me so much," she stated. "You learn so many invaluable life lessons as an athlete that eventually help you in real-world experiences. Sports have provided a way for females to become driven, passionate, resilient leaders."
In terms of coaching inspirations, Sherwin draws hers from multiple outlets rather than one individual.
"To be honest, I do not have one specific person who is my biggest role model," Taylor revealed. "I would say I look up to the females in coaching who are passionate about their roles and are continuing to pave the way for the younger generation."
Sherwin took this inspiration to heart with her own coaching and with the advice she has for the next generation. She has four pieces of advice that extend beyond just sports.
"One, don't compare your journey and talents to others. God uniquely made you for a reason and purpose," Taylor started. "Two, surround yourself with individuals who genuinely celebrate your successes. Three, be present and enjoy the small moments: love what you do every day. Four, take constructive criticism to your advantage."
Brandy Clouse functions in a few capacities for our athletic department. She is the Deputy Athletics Director of Internal Affairs, the Senior Woman Administrator and the Head Athletic Trainer. She has been an important part of Georgia Southern for many years and played tennis here during her collegiate career.
Looking back at her career, Brandy felt that it took her a while to fully understand the impact of being a woman working in sports and especially in her positions, where she directly influences the experiences of our female student-athletes.
"I think when I first started my career as a woman in sports, I really didn't understand the impact. I just put my head down, and I just kept working to do the best possible job," Clouse began. "Even when I took over the department, I still didn't really understand my impact and didn't work as if I had an impact other than student-athlete wellbeing. I think as I took over as Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and started approaching the admin role, I started realizing there might be a way to impact females. It probably didn't start until I had my second child, and people started asking me to speak to women in sports about being a mom and being an athletic trainer, and working in Division I. I think that all came together when I had my second child in 2016, when I became SWA and then COVID-19."
She had a great perspective on realizing the opportunity she had to tell young women and others that they could work toward multiple goals at the same time.
"I started thinking I really could use a voice of how I can impact women and let them know that you can do what you want to do. You can be a mom, you can be married, and still meet all of your career goals," Brandy stated. "I think a lot of people fear the schedule of that and want to know the how before they get there, and there's no knowing the how. You just make it work because this is what you want to do. You can be a mom, you can be married and you can work in Division I athletics."
Her potential influence also extended beyond just women wanting to work in sports to the student-athletes whose experiences she helps facilitate.
"Also, your impact on how you influence all the student-athletes. How do you get them to see their vision of what they want in their career? How do you get them to have the confidence to do the things that they want to do? And I think that's where WeLead came in. Jared [Benko] had this idea of WeLead. Then Haley [Prewett, former Director of Business Operations] and I took it, and we started building it. We built this committee, and then those ladies helped us build this foundational curriculum to help ladies lead in their chosen profession when they leave here."
There are two women who came before Clouse in her role that she believes influenced her path and the way she approaches her role, especially as SWA.
"There are a couple of ladies that came before me as far as here at Georgia Southern," Clouse said. "Brenda Carter was an SWA when I was a student-athlete. The way that she supported female athletes, the way she supported just athletics in general and the way she continues to support. She was also a tennis player, and I played tennis. That was impactful: how she just showed her support and her unwavering love for student-athletes."
She then identified someone who was an influence on a more personal level, "Cathy Beene was an SWA prior to me taking her position when she retired. She was also my coach as a tennis player here when I finished my eligibility. And watching her manage things, watching her stand up for female rights, Title IX, and being able to handle situations and talk me through situations … I think was huge," Brandy emphasized. "And those two ladies have always been someone that if I'm going to step into their shoes, how do I fill them and then how do I take it to the next level? I think they created this foundation here at Georgia Southern, and I hope that I'm carrying that forward for them."
To conclude her interview, we asked Brandy what she would say to the next generation of female student-athletes.
"To start your journey, you have to have confidence in yourself, and you have to believe in yourself," she said. "My advice would be don't put limitations on what you have the ability to do. Because you can do anything that you put your mind to. And I know that we are so used to our parents saying that, but really it's a matter of you have to believe in yourself, you have to set sight on the goals and then start your own journey. But have the confidence to do it and the belief in yourself that you can carry it through and be successful."
Ashley Kubel is one of our Assistant Directors of Business Operations. She was a former Georgia Southern Eagle on the swimming & diving team. When Ashley thinks of being a woman in sports, she feels both her athletic career and her current position are vital to understanding her experience.
"To me, being a female in sports, I feel like that comes more full circle being an employee in college athletics," Kubel stated. "To me, it's the full picture of being empowered to do all the things you do best, whether it's in the pool or kind of behind the scenes in the budget office. So, I think it's just really empowering to know that you have a seat at the table physically and, in my job specifically, talking about the finances and budget management of an entire athletic department. I think it's just empowering to know that you can do all of these things."
For Ashley, her family has been the most important factor in developing her into who she is today.
"My family in general, but my mom and my sister," Ashley was quick to say. "I feel like my parents growing up, and my sister, have always just encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and to do things that I don't think I can do. Whether it's just traveling away for school from home and then permanently living away from home and just challenging me to make a difference for myself and others around me."
To conclude her interview, Ashley wanted to highlight the importance of living in the moment. She wanted younger athletes to know that the time we have now is the biggest priority.
"I would just say to capture the time that you have now to do those things," she said. "Take every challenge head on because whether it's in sports or later in life, it all makes you better in the long run. And just be confident in whatever sport you play or whatever you compete in. Be confident in who you are and the gifts and talents that you've been given."
Taylor Puetz is a graduate assistant on our strength & conditioning staff. She was a four-year member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill softball team. After graduating, she has been working to develop her strength & conditioning expertise and is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
For Taylor, being a woman in sports means embracing the unique experience of being a woman while using her position to prepare her female student-athletes for future confidence.
"It means a lot to me because, obviously, our experiences as females are different than men," Puetz began. "I grew up playing softball, I played four years of softball at UNC Chapel Hill, and now I'm here working with all female athletes. I have the softball team, and I have swimming & diving, which is all females. My biggest thing as a strength coach, obviously it's for sports performance and everything within their four years, but it's also how I can prepare them for after they're here and instill confidence in them. I have the confidence to go into a public gym because my strength coach taught me how to do this and going into the gym and not being scared or intimidated by it because of not knowing how to do something. Who cares if you don't know how to do something? It's like, you know what, I trained for four years. I'll figure it out when I get in there. It means a lot to me because I feel like in this specific role it's a significant impact. Even in the translation of lifting in here to your sport, there might be a very, very small amount of transfer from lifting in here to sport, but it's more so emotionally. How can I be there for my athletes and instill the confidence that they need after they're done here."
When asked about her biggest role model in getting to her current position, Taylor instantly identified her former strength coach. She was not only a role model but a supporter and advocate.
"I would say my biggest role model is Jordan Conner, who was my strength coach at UNC for four years," Taylor explained. "She's the reason why I'm in this role, because my time there with softball was not everything that I wanted it to be, but I knew that every day when we had lift or conditioning or whenever it was that I'd get to see her, and I would basically get to turn my brain off and have fun. She was there for us on a personal side as well, still professional, but knowing that she's there for us and has our best interest at heart and she's always fighting for us as well. I knew that she always had our back. So, she would definitely be my role model and the first person that I think of."
To conclude her interview with a piece of advice, Taylor went back to what she believes is most important in her career: instilling confidence.
"I think my biggest one is just have confidence in whatever you're doing because women are awesome," she stated. "I truly believe that women are amazing, and everything in the world wouldn't work without us. At the end of the day, all the things that we can do are absolutely incredible: we can carry children, we can own businesses, we can be strength coaches, we can own companies, we can do anything under the sun. I think that we're finally getting out of that spot where it's like, as a woman, you have to be a mother, or you have to clean the house, or you have to do this or have to do that. I think it's really cool that our generation, because we're similar in age, which is another cool piece about the position that I'm in specifically right now at this point in time. I feel like I almost have more of an impact because my age is so similar to the girls that I'm coaching. Yeah, I would just say have confidence in everything that you do and even if you're scared, just go out and get it because you can do it."
These four women provide a look into the strong female leaders who are working hard here at Georgia Southern to instill confidence, determination, and joy into the everyday lives of our student-athletes. They are vital to our department and true representations of what you can accomplish as a woman in sports professionally.
Addy Burrow is a fifth-year senior pursuing a master's degree in professional communication. She is also an All-American on Georgia Southern's nationally ranked rifle team.
Being both a former student-athlete and a current member of the athletics staff is something all four of these women have in common. They have had more time to gain perspective on the experience of women in athletics and now they have the opportunity to be a part of influencing that experience themselves. In this feature, they tell us what being a woman in sports—and working in sports—means to them, how they were inspired to get to where they are and what they have to say to the next generation of women in sports.
Taylor Sherwin is an associate head coach with the Georgia Southern Eagles' volleyball team. She came to Southern with prior coaching experience under Chad Willis and has helped lead the Eagles to some of their best season results, including selection to the NIVC Tournament in the 2023 season. But for Taylor, being a coach, and a woman in sports, is about more than winning; it's about giving back.
"It's an honor to give back to something that has taught me and given me so much," she stated. "You learn so many invaluable life lessons as an athlete that eventually help you in real-world experiences. Sports have provided a way for females to become driven, passionate, resilient leaders."
In terms of coaching inspirations, Sherwin draws hers from multiple outlets rather than one individual.
"To be honest, I do not have one specific person who is my biggest role model," Taylor revealed. "I would say I look up to the females in coaching who are passionate about their roles and are continuing to pave the way for the younger generation."
Sherwin took this inspiration to heart with her own coaching and with the advice she has for the next generation. She has four pieces of advice that extend beyond just sports.
"One, don't compare your journey and talents to others. God uniquely made you for a reason and purpose," Taylor started. "Two, surround yourself with individuals who genuinely celebrate your successes. Three, be present and enjoy the small moments: love what you do every day. Four, take constructive criticism to your advantage."
Brandy Clouse functions in a few capacities for our athletic department. She is the Deputy Athletics Director of Internal Affairs, the Senior Woman Administrator and the Head Athletic Trainer. She has been an important part of Georgia Southern for many years and played tennis here during her collegiate career.
Looking back at her career, Brandy felt that it took her a while to fully understand the impact of being a woman working in sports and especially in her positions, where she directly influences the experiences of our female student-athletes.
"I think when I first started my career as a woman in sports, I really didn't understand the impact. I just put my head down, and I just kept working to do the best possible job," Clouse began. "Even when I took over the department, I still didn't really understand my impact and didn't work as if I had an impact other than student-athlete wellbeing. I think as I took over as Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and started approaching the admin role, I started realizing there might be a way to impact females. It probably didn't start until I had my second child, and people started asking me to speak to women in sports about being a mom and being an athletic trainer, and working in Division I. I think that all came together when I had my second child in 2016, when I became SWA and then COVID-19."
She had a great perspective on realizing the opportunity she had to tell young women and others that they could work toward multiple goals at the same time.
"I started thinking I really could use a voice of how I can impact women and let them know that you can do what you want to do. You can be a mom, you can be married, and still meet all of your career goals," Brandy stated. "I think a lot of people fear the schedule of that and want to know the how before they get there, and there's no knowing the how. You just make it work because this is what you want to do. You can be a mom, you can be married and you can work in Division I athletics."
Her potential influence also extended beyond just women wanting to work in sports to the student-athletes whose experiences she helps facilitate.
"Also, your impact on how you influence all the student-athletes. How do you get them to see their vision of what they want in their career? How do you get them to have the confidence to do the things that they want to do? And I think that's where WeLead came in. Jared [Benko] had this idea of WeLead. Then Haley [Prewett, former Director of Business Operations] and I took it, and we started building it. We built this committee, and then those ladies helped us build this foundational curriculum to help ladies lead in their chosen profession when they leave here."
There are two women who came before Clouse in her role that she believes influenced her path and the way she approaches her role, especially as SWA.
"There are a couple of ladies that came before me as far as here at Georgia Southern," Clouse said. "Brenda Carter was an SWA when I was a student-athlete. The way that she supported female athletes, the way she supported just athletics in general and the way she continues to support. She was also a tennis player, and I played tennis. That was impactful: how she just showed her support and her unwavering love for student-athletes."
She then identified someone who was an influence on a more personal level, "Cathy Beene was an SWA prior to me taking her position when she retired. She was also my coach as a tennis player here when I finished my eligibility. And watching her manage things, watching her stand up for female rights, Title IX, and being able to handle situations and talk me through situations … I think was huge," Brandy emphasized. "And those two ladies have always been someone that if I'm going to step into their shoes, how do I fill them and then how do I take it to the next level? I think they created this foundation here at Georgia Southern, and I hope that I'm carrying that forward for them."
To conclude her interview, we asked Brandy what she would say to the next generation of female student-athletes.
"To start your journey, you have to have confidence in yourself, and you have to believe in yourself," she said. "My advice would be don't put limitations on what you have the ability to do. Because you can do anything that you put your mind to. And I know that we are so used to our parents saying that, but really it's a matter of you have to believe in yourself, you have to set sight on the goals and then start your own journey. But have the confidence to do it and the belief in yourself that you can carry it through and be successful."
Ashley Kubel is one of our Assistant Directors of Business Operations. She was a former Georgia Southern Eagle on the swimming & diving team. When Ashley thinks of being a woman in sports, she feels both her athletic career and her current position are vital to understanding her experience.
"To me, being a female in sports, I feel like that comes more full circle being an employee in college athletics," Kubel stated. "To me, it's the full picture of being empowered to do all the things you do best, whether it's in the pool or kind of behind the scenes in the budget office. So, I think it's just really empowering to know that you have a seat at the table physically and, in my job specifically, talking about the finances and budget management of an entire athletic department. I think it's just empowering to know that you can do all of these things."
For Ashley, her family has been the most important factor in developing her into who she is today.
"My family in general, but my mom and my sister," Ashley was quick to say. "I feel like my parents growing up, and my sister, have always just encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and to do things that I don't think I can do. Whether it's just traveling away for school from home and then permanently living away from home and just challenging me to make a difference for myself and others around me."
To conclude her interview, Ashley wanted to highlight the importance of living in the moment. She wanted younger athletes to know that the time we have now is the biggest priority.
"I would just say to capture the time that you have now to do those things," she said. "Take every challenge head on because whether it's in sports or later in life, it all makes you better in the long run. And just be confident in whatever sport you play or whatever you compete in. Be confident in who you are and the gifts and talents that you've been given."
Taylor Puetz is a graduate assistant on our strength & conditioning staff. She was a four-year member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill softball team. After graduating, she has been working to develop her strength & conditioning expertise and is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
For Taylor, being a woman in sports means embracing the unique experience of being a woman while using her position to prepare her female student-athletes for future confidence.
"It means a lot to me because, obviously, our experiences as females are different than men," Puetz began. "I grew up playing softball, I played four years of softball at UNC Chapel Hill, and now I'm here working with all female athletes. I have the softball team, and I have swimming & diving, which is all females. My biggest thing as a strength coach, obviously it's for sports performance and everything within their four years, but it's also how I can prepare them for after they're here and instill confidence in them. I have the confidence to go into a public gym because my strength coach taught me how to do this and going into the gym and not being scared or intimidated by it because of not knowing how to do something. Who cares if you don't know how to do something? It's like, you know what, I trained for four years. I'll figure it out when I get in there. It means a lot to me because I feel like in this specific role it's a significant impact. Even in the translation of lifting in here to your sport, there might be a very, very small amount of transfer from lifting in here to sport, but it's more so emotionally. How can I be there for my athletes and instill the confidence that they need after they're done here."
When asked about her biggest role model in getting to her current position, Taylor instantly identified her former strength coach. She was not only a role model but a supporter and advocate.
"I would say my biggest role model is Jordan Conner, who was my strength coach at UNC for four years," Taylor explained. "She's the reason why I'm in this role, because my time there with softball was not everything that I wanted it to be, but I knew that every day when we had lift or conditioning or whenever it was that I'd get to see her, and I would basically get to turn my brain off and have fun. She was there for us on a personal side as well, still professional, but knowing that she's there for us and has our best interest at heart and she's always fighting for us as well. I knew that she always had our back. So, she would definitely be my role model and the first person that I think of."
To conclude her interview with a piece of advice, Taylor went back to what she believes is most important in her career: instilling confidence.
"I think my biggest one is just have confidence in whatever you're doing because women are awesome," she stated. "I truly believe that women are amazing, and everything in the world wouldn't work without us. At the end of the day, all the things that we can do are absolutely incredible: we can carry children, we can own businesses, we can be strength coaches, we can own companies, we can do anything under the sun. I think that we're finally getting out of that spot where it's like, as a woman, you have to be a mother, or you have to clean the house, or you have to do this or have to do that. I think it's really cool that our generation, because we're similar in age, which is another cool piece about the position that I'm in specifically right now at this point in time. I feel like I almost have more of an impact because my age is so similar to the girls that I'm coaching. Yeah, I would just say have confidence in everything that you do and even if you're scared, just go out and get it because you can do it."
These four women provide a look into the strong female leaders who are working hard here at Georgia Southern to instill confidence, determination, and joy into the everyday lives of our student-athletes. They are vital to our department and true representations of what you can accomplish as a woman in sports professionally.
Addy Burrow is a fifth-year senior pursuing a master's degree in professional communication. She is also an All-American on Georgia Southern's nationally ranked rifle team.
Georgia Southern Football Media Availability (12/15/25)
Monday, December 15
The GATA Zone - Episode 9 (Swimming and Diving)
Thursday, December 11
Clay Helton Media Availability: National Signing Day (12/3/25)
Thursday, December 04
Georgia Southern vs. Marshall Highlights (11/29/25)
Sunday, November 30
