A passionate sports journalist by nature and training, Sarah Kirkpatrick has joined the AIC Athletics Department Communications team, and is sure to make her mark for the Yellow Jackets.

Kirkpatrick is from Seattle, a recent graduate from Boston University who is taking her next step by joining the AIC family as Coordinator of Athletic Communications. Starting just before the fall semester began, she is already a new face of change for AIC athletics.

She graduated with a major in journalism in May. At 22 years old she is , but isready to take on what AIC has to offer for her, and is ready to offer what she has in return.

Sarah works alongside with Thomas Pool, the Director of Athletic Communications. Her job is to get teams and players known here at AIC, by dealing with the technical, and written support for the teams, and attending games.

So, Sarah gets paid to watch sporting events? Super cool job I’d say if you asked any sport junkie, but there is a little more to the job than that.

Sarah goes to the games to recognize the teams and players. Her job involves everything from taking stats during games, to filming the live streams of games, writing for the yellow jackets website, and interviewing players and coaches.

She is also the person to contact if any other outside sources want to get in contact with a player, team, or coach or anyone trying to report on a game.

Besides getting juicy stories on players and the athletics as a whole, there is more to Sarah’s job as well.

She makes graphics and media guides, and handles a lot of the creative aspects of the athletic department. Though each sport has a “primary contact,” she does a lot for all of them. She is the primary contact for men’s soccer, women’s tennis, cross country, track, women’s lacrosse and men’s hockey.

Though, pretty much all of AIC’s athletics are currently doing pretty great this semester, Sarah has specifically noted some of the changes and improvements coming for the hockey team.

One of those being the new hockey coach.

Also the hockey team itself will be seeing a lot of new faces.

The Hockey team is basically going to be a new team this year due to all the new players, but the team is looking very promising.

Though cuts are still being made, there are about 13 new freshmen who have come in and a lot of international students joining the team, according to Sarah.

Also, the hockey team has a new agreement with the Mass Mutual center and will be holding all their home games there. Which, according to Sarah is nicer due to it being not so chilly inside, it is a nice arena, and bonus: the press box is great!

Regarding the changes coming for AIC athletics, and all the new players the hockey team will acquire, Sarah has said “it is exciting going with a new home new era kind of thing”

The school as a whole is also trying to get people more involved in the athletic aspects. Starting with hockey, the school is trying promote the homecoming game for students to go following the pep rally, on October 14th and is working to get people more involved in the sporting aspect that surrounds AIC.

To promote athletics, the athletics department is advertising games more, putting more money into the sporting teams, and just trying to improve athletics as a whole.

Sarah also helps run the social media aspect of AIC athletics. Sarah and Thomas try to get athletes, and the teams known on all the social media they can get their hands on. AIC athletics is currently on twitter, Facebook, Instagram, snapchat and YouTube.

In reference to joining the AIC family, Sarah has said she loves the small feel of the school. After coming from a large college campus like BU where she never met half of the student body to a tight-knit campus like AIC, has been a big change for her, but a good one.

In reference to AIC being a tightly knit community, she says “I think that’s overwhelmingly my favorite part- I love that I can go around campus here and see someone I know every time I take a walk.”

She has loved her experience here so far. She adores how welcoming, and how helpful everyone has been. Noting that a fellow AIC co-worker even offered to help her move to her new apartment when she started at AIC and just feels really welcomed, and happy to be here. She’s said “There’s an element of comfort and familiarity here which is really awesome.”

We are just as excited to have her here as well, and see what else she has in store for AIC.