McKenzie Watson joined the WKU athletic department in May 2021 as the Director of Student-Athlete Career Development.
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Watson is responsible for holistically developing student-athletes and preparing them to launch to life post-athletics. She used her experience as a student-athlete within the SEC, she created The Hilltopper CLIMB student-athlete development program to help student-athletes of all backgrounds and career aspirations.
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On a daily basis, Watson meets with student-athletes one-on-one; develops programming; and networks between the athletic department, campus and Bowling Green community. She also serves as a co-chair for WKU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
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Prior to WKU, Watson attended the University of Kentucky and was a four-year letterwinner for the Kentucky Wildcat Volleyball team between 2015-2018. She joined Kentucky’s Student-Athlete Experience division as a graduate assistant – specializing in Community Engagement, Social Media and Branding – following graduation. She also interned with Kentucky Volleyball Director of Operations in the summer of 2018.
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As a former student-athlete, Watson was on the SEC Community Service Team and was named to the SEC Honor Roll numerous times. She was also inducted into the Frank G. Ham Society of Character at Kentucky in 2019. The Society of Character annually honors Wildcats who have shown an extraordinary commitment to academic excellence, athletic participation, personal development, career preparation and serving as a role model. Watson was also a part of winning two SEC Championships with the Wildcats, and was named to the SEC All-Academic Team in her senior season.
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Watson holds a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Integrated Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations (2018) and a Master’s of Science in Sport Psychology (2018), both from the University of Kentucky.
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Watson is originally from Louisville, Ky., and attended Assumption High School. She is engaged to Andrew DelVisco with plans to marry in June 2022.
