With nearly 30% of Saint Anselm College’s student body made up of student-athletes, it’s inevitable for athletics to trickle into academia. Given their innate drive to compete and diverse career motivations, several student-athletes were inspired to channel the love of sport into research.
Luke Linart ’26
Accounting and Business Analytics major, Applied Artificial Intelligence certificate
Men’s Ice Hockey
Luke Linart ’26 was recruited by Saint Anselm to take his skills to Division II after playing junior hockey for two years. With interests in mathematics and analytical analysis, Linart opted to study both accounting and business analytics at the College in addition to his demanding hockey schedule.
Linart was encouraged to conduct data-driven research that exceeded typical concepts like supply and demand or gross domestic product in one of his courses. With that in mind, he chose to examine hockey through an economic lens, researching tax rate discrepancies and how NHL salary cap budget restrictions can significantly impact the amount players make after signing with a team. Linart ran a regression analysis by gathering state/province tax rates and regular season records pre- and post-salary cap instatement.
Learn more about Linart’s research →
Brandon LeBlanc ’26
Communication major, Graphic Design minor
Men’s Cross Country
After taking a liking to one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, Brandon LeBlanc ’26 was surprised to hear the negative views the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) garnered just three decades prior. With goals to pursue a sports communications career, the student-athlete questioned how media portrayal alone changed the UFC’s public perception.
By diving into secondary sources, LeBlanc learned just how unorganized and excessively violent the UFC once was. Using old and modern footage comparisons, LeBlanc observed radical differences in everything from commentary to overall presentation. Along with his analysis, LeBlanc developed an annotated bibliography and conducted an in-depth literature review to present his findings.
Learn more about LeBlanc’s research →
Sydney Merritt ’26
HonorsCriminal Justice and Psychology major
Women’s Ice Hockey
With ambitions to earn a doctorate in criminology, Sydney Merritt ’26 chose to pair psychology with criminal justice for her undergraduate education. When it came time to brainstorm research topics, she landed on labeling theory—how individuals absorb the positive or negative labels they are given.
Merritt spoke with a handful of kids ages 12-17 at the Manchester Police Athletic League through a series of questionnaires and brief interviews. By talking with adolescents in the juvenile court diversion program and the latter, she sought to determine if their self-perceptions were impacted by being labeled one way or the other. From the rink to the ring, Merritt took her athleticism to an officer-led boxing class to further bond with the kids.
Learn more about Merritt’s research →
Lucy Davis ’26
Communication major, Human Relations and Work minor
Women’s Lacrosse
Formerly undecided, Lucy Davis ’26 was sold on studying communication after taking a media writing course on campus. As a lacrosse player and avid podcast listener aspiring to work in public relations for a professional sports organization, Davis was compelled to channel her interests into constructive academic research. As an athlete herself, Davis was intrigued by gendered language usage in conversations with professional athletes on podcasts.
After studying a handful of episodes from popular podcasts, Davis observed that although each show featured professional athletes, the interview styles, topics covered, and method of marketing varied drastically depending on the guest’s gender. Reflecting on her research, Davis encourages people to be mindful of their gendered language use and acknowledge implicit gender biases they carry always, not only in athletics.
Learn more about Davis’s research →
Logan Guttadauro ’27
Physics major, Mathematics minor
Men’s Track and Field
A self-declared “math guy,” Logan Guttadauro ‘27 was intrigued by the language of how things work—physics. With a newfound appreciation for hammer throw, the student-athlete elected to explore the sport he loved through an intricate, physics-based mathematical analysis.
Guttadauro considered how projective motion, release angle, and release velocity matter when executing a good hammer throw. He also studied if height or weight has any impact on the throw and if regularly practicing competitive lifts contributes to overall event performance. Guttadauro noted that increased velocity has a greater rate of change than that of an adjusted angle and that angles shouldn’t be prioritized as highly as speed when competing.