BREVARD, N.C. - Throughout the Fall, the Brevard College Department of Athletics will be highlighting its staff members in a tri-weekly Staff Highlight Series, giving members of the Athletic Administration and Coaching Staff the opportunity to introduce themselves to the BC community through a series of questions and biographical elements.
Next up in BC's Staff Highlight Series is Brevard College Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach Diana Loaiza, a former women's lacrosse student-athlete at Brevard College.
bctornados.com: What makes Brevard College a special place?
Coach Loaiza: The people make Brevard a special place. Everyone is always ready to lend out a helping hand and they are very nice and welcoming.
bctornados.com: Who has been your biggest influence in your professional career?
Coach Loaiza: My biggest influence in my professional career I would say has been my Head Coach Kristin Rosato and Brevard College Director of Athletics Myranda Nash. Once I determined that I wanted to work in college athletics, they were there to help me every step of the way. They constantly gave me advice and guided me through the different processes and what I could do to further my career.
bctornados.com: What is some advice you would give to young people looking to get into the profession?
Coach Loaiza: If working in college athletics is something that you might want, I would suggest getting to know your athletics staff from the coaching to the administration, build relationships, and get to know them and what they do.
Loaiza defending in a 2019 contest vs. William Peace at Ives-Lemel Family Field.
Diana Loaiza was named the Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach at Brevard College in the Summer of 2020 and enters her first season on the sidelines for the Tornados.
Loaiza is a 2020 graduate of Brevard College after playing four years as a key member of the Tornados women's lacrosse team. This past semester, she participated in significant NCAA programs to help position her for a career in college athletics.
In January of 2020, Loaiza was selected as one of just 40 student-athletes from throughout the nation to participate in the 2020 NCAA Division III Student Immersion program held in conjunction with the annual NCAA Convention in Anaheim, California. The program, designed for ethnic minority student-athletes pursuing a career in NCAA Division III coaching or athletics administration, provided Loaiza with the opportunity to experience a magnitude of programming and relationship building within college athletics.
In May of 2020, Loaiza was one of 400 college student-athletes across all divisions to participate in the NCAA's Career in Sports Forum. At the event, held virtually for the first time, Loaiza was exposed to learnings from industry leaders while gaining insight on how to best chart a career in college sports.
On the field, Loaiza was a key member of the Tornado defense through her four years at Brevard, appearing in 46 games while making 39 starts for the BC women's lacrosse team. Over the course of her collegiate career, Loaiza logged 28 ground balls, won a pair of draw controls, and caused 15 turnovers. The defender snagged a career-best 14 ground balls in the 2019 season while causing a career-high six turnovers in 2018, as Loaiza was well on her way to career-numbers through the first four contests of her senior season.
In her senior season, Loaiza was a key factor in BC's 19-8 victory over Johnson & Wales (Denver), grabbing a career-high four ground balls in the triumph.
Off the field, Loaiza served the campus community as Treasurer of the Life Club and as a Peer Mentor at Brevard College, while also working as a Department of Athletics work-study to gain experience relevant to her future career.
A native of Greenville, South Carolina, and an alumna of Wade Hampton High School, Loaiza graduated from Brevard College in the Spring 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Coaching.
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-BC-