Rifle's Dorey seeking shot at career in athletics

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In a "normal" year, University of Memphis rifle student-athlete Matt Dorey would have been packing his bags to travel from his home in Chestertown, Maryland to the Crossroads of America in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dorey would have been one of approximately 200 student-athletes from all three NCAA levels (Divisions I, II, III) attending in-person the 11^th-annual NCAA Career in Sports Forum (CISF) at NCAA headquarters Wednesday-Friday, May 27-29.

But, 2020 – particularly the last few months – has been anything but normal.

Collegiate athletics came to an abrupt halt in mid-March because of the pandemic and were canceled for the remainder of the 2019-20 calendar. Many students moved back home to continue their classes online.

In a similar fashion, the NCAA is holding its three-day forum on a virtual platform to give those selected student-athletes the opportunities the previous CISF classes have enjoyed since the NCAA began the event in 2009. With the pandemic, the NCAA CISF was something Dorey thought was not going to happen.

"I was really surprised when I got the email saying the forum was still on," said Dorey, who enters the 2020-21 campaign as the UofM rifle team's lone senior. "I thought it would be canceled. I'm pretty pumped."

Lamarr Pottinger, associate director of NCAA leadership development, did not want to cancel the forum.

"It is important to host the Career in Sports Forum this year," Pottinger said. "We want to continue providing student-athletes with career and leadership development, even during these challenging times when we are unable to meet in person."

Although the NCAA is taking a different approach in holding this year's CISF, the process to be selected to attend was just as competitive.

"It's a pretty grueling process," said Marlon Dechausay, Associate AD for Student-Athlete Welfare.

According to Dechausay, the NCAA CISF selection begins on all NCAA Division I, II and III campuses across the country. Athletics departments reach out to student-athletes that express an interest in careers in college athletics. Those student-athletes fill out applications and also compose short narratives about why the NCAA CISF is important and why they want to attend. The NCAA leadership staff then goes through all the applications and attempts to find a balance between divisions (NCAA I, II, III) and sports.

The selection process, though, may have been tougher with more sports programs – baseball, softball, track and field – able to participate due to the pandemic canceling their seasons. In past years, those sports would be playing at this time, and those student-athletes could not attend.

"That's a positive about having this year's virtual forum because it can be expanded to include all of the sports," Dechausay said.

The forum prepares junior and senior student-athletes for a career after graduation. The forum helps student-athletes learn more about themselves as leaders by exposing them to projects that require critical thinking as well as practical experiences that strengthen their personal and professional skills and competencies. Through their participation, attendees gain a deeper understanding of roles within the athletics industry and how their personal and professional interests align with potential career paths.

While this year's virtual event allows more to participate, the inability of not having it as an in-person forum presents some challenges. However, Dechausay and Dorey both believe the NCAA virtual event will give its best effort for the student-athletes.

"Part of the experience of the Career in Sports Forum is the interaction that happens in the groups outside the sessions, the mingling, the 'hanging-out,' the relationships that are born," said Dechausay. "I think that (virtual forum) is going to be a challenge to see if participants will have that connective-ness after the event. When they're on campus, on ground in Indianapolis, they are locked into the experience and everything that's going on versus doing it virtually.

"But I know the NCAA development staff really well, and I know they will put on a first-class program. They wouldn't have done it virtually if they didn't believe they could provide at least a comparable experience. Matt will have a great experience and he'll take away a lot of things from the forum."

Dorey agreed. He expects the NCAA to provide "more breakout rooms" on Zoom.

"So they'll be able to pair us up with others who scored similarly on the strengths finder assessment," Dorey said. "As far as I know, they are going to accommodate and facilitate some group discussions. Everyone who made it into the program is going to be more prone to reach out and communicate with one another. I think it will go well, and I'm looking forward to see how everything turns out."

Forum sessions include how student-athletes can become more aware of their inner strengths, how to develop a career plan, practical approaches to the job search, how to navigate as a young professional in the athletics industry, the role of an athletics administrator and head coach, and other motivational and key messaging from speakers. The athletes also will have opportunities to engage in breakout sessions where they will engage in guided discussions to further curriculum understanding and build community with other student-athletes. A student-athlete task force also was created to identify and develop specific sessions where student-athletes expressed particular interest.

For Dorey, he sees his career path in sports psychology or coaching.

"When I originally heard about it (forum) and with my career goals of being a sports psychologist or a college rifle coach, this was something right up my alley," said Dorey, who is a psychology major at the UofM. "I wanted to be able to learn more about administrative roles in college athletics, pick up some additional leadership skills and gain a better idea of what my future career might look like.

"Being able to participate in this, I'm excited to make more connections and learn a little more about what I ought to expect (in a career)."

While the primary focus of the NCAA CISF is future opportunities in the workforce, Dorey also sees the program helping him develop leadership skills that he hopes to use for the 2020-21 rifle campaign. Dorey enters his senior season this fall and has been a part of the rifle program that has been on a rise the last three seasons under Coach Dan Hermsmeier.

The Tigers finished the 2019-20 season ranked No. 10 in the final Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) poll, the program's highest season-end ranking since the 2015-16 campaign. This past season, Memphis spent nine weeks in the poll's top-10 and reached its highest ranking during the season at No. 5 in November.

As a sophomore in 2018-19, Dorey was a part of the UofM's record-setting performance at Jacksonville State's Gamecock Invitational. The Tigers set program record in smallbore and aggregate.

"The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is picking up skills that I can translate over to some leadership role next year with our team," said Dorey, who posted a career-high 590 air rifle score last season. "I may also better appreciate more what my coach (Hermsmeier) goes through as well and get more out of the season and help my teammates too."

Dorey is just as impressive off the range. Following the spring semester, Dorey held a 3.76 grade-point average and is a Dean's List student. He is also active in the University community.

"Matt is an outstanding student-athlete and embodies everything a student-athlete is," said Dechausay. "He excels in the classroom and is a great shooter on our rifle team. On top of that, he's part of our SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee), and he's involved and he cares.

"There are only a handful of student-athletes that have the opportunity to participate in this event, and that is special in itself. Matt will represent himself, the rifle program and the University of Memphis very well at the forum."

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