The University of Toledo Athletic Department announced two new programs designed to elevate its use of data across all facets of its operations, as well as the creation of the new position of Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Benefits and Data Analytics.
Together, these initiatives elevate and expand Toledo Athletics’ existing use of data, ensuring the department continues its evolution into a data-first organization.
A new partnership with WMT Digital will establish a comprehensive data infrastructure to support ticket sales, fundraising, fan engagement and student-athlete performance. Toledo is the only school in the Mid-American Conference to have a partnership with WMT Digital, a premium digital fan engagement and analytics platform for sports and live entertainment that empowers organizations to understand their fanbase, engage more meaningfully across digital channels and unlock actionable insights that drive deeper loyalty and revenue.
Simultaneously, the department is launching a Data Science Internship Program in collaboration with UToledo’s newly announced School of Interdisciplinary Data Science, offering students hands-on experience in applying data science to athletics.
“Toledo Athletics prides itself on innovation and being an incredible campus partner,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Bryan B. Blair. “The combination of our partnership with WMT Digital and the launch of the Data Science Internship Program marks a major step forward in how we use data to drive success.
“WMT brings industry-leading tools and expertise to help us optimize operations and enhance data-based decision making, while the internship program connects our academic mission with real-world experiential learning for our UToledo students,” Blair added. “Together, these initiatives will strengthen our student-athlete support system and create new opportunities for innovation across our department.”
“Toledo is setting a powerful example of how data can fuel smarter, faster decision-making across college athletics,” said Andres Focil, CEO of WMT Digital. “By placing WMT’s strategic data services at the center of their approach, they’ve built a unified infrastructure to uncover insights, connect departments and act on trends in real time. Their athletic department is laying the groundwork to fully leverage AI, and we’re proud to be a partner in this transition to help them get the most out of their data.”
The Data Science Internship Program supports the Athletic Department’s goals of elevating performance, optimizing resources and maximizing return on student-athlete benefit investments. Data-focused solutions to problems related to business strategy, roster management and player performance metrics will be emphasized.
It is a paid internship with up to three student interns who can earn credit in data science for the 2025-26 academic year. Interns need to be pursuing a degree in data science, computer science or related field with experience in programming for data-driven tasks, data analysis and data visualization. Interested students can apply through Handshake.
“This internship is a valuable opportunity for our students to engage with challenging, data-driven problems within the UToledo community,” said Bill Kalies, director of UToledo’s Data Science Program. “We’re excited to see how their work will impact the success of our Athletics programs.”
In addition to the WMT partnership and Data Science Internship Program, Toledo Athletics is creating one of the first roles of its kind in college athletics: Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Benefits and Data Analytics. This position will oversee initiatives that drive performance optimization, revenue generation and strategic decision-making across the organization through advanced data analytics.
“This new role represents a fundamental shift in how we operate as a department,” Blair said. “By creating the Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Benefits and Data Analytics, we’re institutionalizing a data-first mindset that touches every corner of Toledo Athletics. This role will allow us to build predictive models, further explore the integration of AI and unlock insights that make us faster and smarter in our decision-making. It’s another example of how we’re building the infrastructure today for the athletics department of tomorrow.”
The University of Toledo School of Interdisciplinary Data Science was established last spring to foster excellence in data science education, research, and innovation. The school currently has a bachelor of science in Data Science Program and an undergraduate minor in data science. A master of science in data science degree is also in development. Internships are extremely valuable for data science students to get exposure to real-world problems, apply their skills in a practical setting and for career development.
The University of Toledo’s Data Science Program prepares students to solve complex problems using data-driven approaches across a wide range of industries. With a curriculum that blends computer science, statistics and domain-specific knowledge, the program emphasizes experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and ethical data practices. Through partnerships like the one with Toledo Athletics, students gain real-world experience applying data science to areas such as sports performance, business operations and fan engagement.
