MEET THE TEAM
Meet the Editors
Janie Pierson
Editor In Chief
Janie is a 2L originally from Denver, CO. She first headed east to Marist College where she graduated with a degree in Sports Communication. She spent the next six years working in Division I athletic departments at Villanova University, Marist College, and Rutgers University, and earned a M.A. in Integrated Marketing. Her work experience included roles in marketing and game presentation, ticketing, business operations, and team operations. After law school, she hopes to work in-house for a professional team or league.
Luke Pacifici
Deputy Editor in Chief
Luke is a 3L at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Originally from Simi Valley, California, he graduated from Boise State University with a B.B.A. in International Business with a minor in Spanish for Business. Luke is a huge soccer fan who always prefers watching the European leagues. After law school, Luke would like to combine his international business and legal educations to work for a professional soccer team either in the United States or abroad.
Dante Camilli
Contributing Editor
Dante is a 3L at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law from Bridgeton, New Jersey. He graduated from the Rutgers Camden School of Business in 2020 with a degree in Management and a Marketing minor while being a member of the University baseball team. Dante has worked as a regional director for Perfect Game events in the Northeast, scouting and evaluating baseball talent. Despite having a baseball rich background, Dante is passionate about all things sports and hopes to combine that with his law career to work in agency or team representation.
Nathan Coffing
Contributing Editor
Nathan is a 3L from Newark, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Sport Management. At UD, Nathan worked with the coaching staff of the men's basketball team, developing systems to evaluate player and lineup efficiencies on both ends of the floor. After law school, he would like to pursue a career in professional basketball where he can assist in using the power of sports to bring about meaningful social change.
Matt Dacey
Contributing Editor
Matt Dacey is a 3L at the Villanova Law from Wyckoff, NJ. Matt graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in leadership studies and competed for the Spiders baseball team. He is one of three players in Atlantic 10 history to lead the conference in home runs in consecutive years and represented Richmond in the 2014 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby televised on ESPN. Matt was selected in the 21st round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays and enjoyed a five-year professional baseball career. With personal experience of negotiating his own professional contract, Matt hopes to utilize his playing career and legal education to develop a future in sports law.
Meet the Staff Writers
Sydney Baxter
Sydney is a 2L here at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law from Hanover, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Albright College with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in legal studies. While there, she was a member and captain of the field hockey team, a public relations chair for the Sigma Kappa sorority, and a representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee for the Middle Atlantic Conference. Sydney has coached field hockey throughout her undergraduate career while also working as a barista and part-time baker. After law school, Sydney hopes to use her legal education and experiences as an athlete to continue supporting women in sports.
Sydney Orr
Sydney is a 2L JD Candidate at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Originally from White Plains, NY, she ran track at Pepperdine University, where she also graduated with B.A. in Sports Administration in 2021. While at Pepperdine, she interned at Wasserman and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission. Sydney is passionate about the intersection between sports and civil rights. After law school, she hopes to work for a player’s association within one of the four major league sports.
Hunter Parsons
Hunter is a 2L at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law from Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Seton Hall University in 2021 with a B.S. in Business Management, concentrating in Mathematical Finance and Sport Management. While at Seton Hall, Hunter worked in a variety of positions for the Seton Hall Athletic Department, including as an athletic facilities and operations intern as well as a men’s basketball ballboy. He most recently worked as a basketball operations analyst for Edwards Robinson Sports, where he completed player and team salary analysis projects for NBA personnel. Hunter is passionate about the world of basketball and hopes to combine his experience in finance with his knowledge from law school to work in NBA contract negotiation.
Brett Podell
Brett is a 2L from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He earned his Bachelor of Arts. in communications with a minor in law and society from the University of Maryland. Brett’s internships with Siegel Sports and Entertainment, and a health and wellness start-up company have furthered his knowledge and passion for the sports law world. Although he played soccer and tennis throughout his life, Brett's true passion is basketball. He never misses a Sixers game and hopes to utilize his love for the sport in his career after law school.
Kyle Winquist
Kyle is a 2L and first-generation law student from Medina, Ohio just outside of Cleveland. He graduated magna cum laude from Marshall University in May of 2021 with a major in sports management (concentration in agency) as well as a minor in communications. In addition, he was a member of the 2021 Division 1 National Champion Men's Soccer program and exhausted his final year of eligibility with the Villanova Men's Soccer program during his 1L year. After law school, Kyle hopes to work within player representation on either end of the table (athlete or team) specifically in regard to contract negotiation, marketing, sponsorship acquisition and financial decisions.
Jack Christmas
Jack Christmas is a 2L at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, from Philadelphia, PA. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and earned a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Economics. Since graduating, Jack has worked in advertising and in fashion as a design assistant. Jack grew up playing baseball for the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (R.B.I.) Phillies program. As an avid fan of sports, Jack aspires to combine his work in creative advertising with his law career and apply it in agency. Jack hopes to be a proponent for athletes in their ventures both professionally and in their community.
Lauren DiLella
Lauren Di Lella is a 2L from Danville, California. She graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles in 2021 where she earned a BA in Politics and played NCAA lacrosse. She was an All-Conference attack player and served as Team Captain in the 2020-2021 school year. Lauren also was the recipient of the 2021 Dunlap Award, which recognizes outstanding athletic and academic achievement. She received honors distinction on her senior comprehensive thesis, which focused on the persistence of gender discrimination in collegiate sports. Lauren is passionate about athlete advocacy, and after law school she hopes to work for a sports agency or in the field of collegiate athletics.
James McCauley
James is a 2L from Sacramento, CA, and played baseball and basketball in high school. He graduated from UCLA in 2020 with a degree in English, and was a Player Agent Intern at Priority Sports & Entertainment while in Los Angeles. After undergrad, he spent a year working as a strength coach at Optimum Athletes, a baseball training facility run by former Washington Nationals relief pitcher Ryan Matheus. While at Optimum, James oversaw the day-to-day strength and conditioning programs for several players currently on MLB rosters and roughly a dozen minor leaguers. He aspires to use the agency experience from Priority with my hands-on experience working with athletes at Optimum paired with the legal education I get from Villanova to work for an agency or with a team after graduating.
