Student-athletes dedicate themselves to their sports, pouring their hearts and souls into every practice, game, and competition. But they are more than just athletes and their aspirations go far beyond the sport. The NCAA x Meta NIL Empower program is designed to help female college athletes tap into those passions and then go after them.

A Legacy of Success

Since its launch in 2021, the program has helped over 200 female student-athletes maximize their name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and build their personal brands. The recent fall program was a testament to this success, with 50 athletes across 15 different sports creating over 2,500 pieces of content and achieving 30 million Reels plays.

From significant growth on social media platforms to innovative content creation, these athletes have set a high bar for success. Here are some of the standout accomplishments from the fall program:

• Fall Empower Athletes learned the importance of consistent posting and increased their Instagram production by 26%.
• 11 athletes participated in a fundraising challenge, raising money for the charity of their choice by utilizing Instagram and Facebook fundraising tools.
• @mackenziesullivan grew her audience 268% on Threads.
• 15 athletes created content franchises, including @journeyamundson’s “How to Hustle” @paybordeu’s “Tangle Talk” and @maddiefleckgolf’s “Fairway on Fridays” series.
• Three top performing athletes (@brookefrazierr, @jennakirbyy, @mackenziesullivan) were selected to attend the NCAA Volleyball Championships where they received exclusive content creation and career development opportunities.

Participants in the NCAA x Meta NIL Empower program also had the chance to learn from one another and build confidence in themselves as creators. “I loved this experience,” said Bailey Heydra. “It was really cool to meet other student athletes who enjoy making content and it was great to hear content ideas and feedback about how to grow our social media platforms.”

Meet the Spring Cohort

This spring, we’ll welcome a new group of female athletes eager to learn how to leverage Meta’s platforms—Instagram, Threads, and Facebook—to maximize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities. Selected for their content creation skills and potential, these women represent 18 sports, 42 universities, and three divisions (DI, DII, and DIII).

Over the next three months, these athletes will participate in virtual sessions and receive bi-weekly content recommendations. They'll follow a "social workout plan" designed to enhance their content creation skills. This approach has already proven successful, as seen with fall participant @bailey_heydra_, who nearly doubled her Instagram audience, growing 265%, in just three months.

They will also attend three virtual sessions, where they will learn about a variety of topics:

• Personal branding
• How to grow and engage an audience
• Reels & Threads 101
• Branded content & monetization
• Social good
• Financial literacy

Join the Journey

You can track the progress of our spring cohort by following them on Instagram. If you’re a female student athlete who’s interested in applying for future "NCAA x Meta NIL Empower Program", follow @NCAA and stay tuned for more information.

• Aaliyah Moore (@aa.liyahmoore)
  University of Texas at Austin, Women's Basketball
• Aleksandra Stadnik (@stadnikvp)
  University of South Florida, Beach Volleyball
• Alyssa Andrews (@alyssatandrews)
  Wake Forest University, Women's Basketball
• Amanda Pirkowski (@amandapirkowski)
  Northwestern University, Women's Fencing
• Angelina Perez (@angelinaaperez@angelinaaperez)
  Wake Forest University, Women's Cross Country
• Aniya Hill (@aniya_.lanae)
  University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Anna Economon (@annaeconomon)
  University of Houston, Women's Golf
• Bailey Tillman (@btill.16)
  McNeese State University, Women's Volleyball
• Cailey Dockery (@caileydockery)
  University of Notre Dame, Women's Volleyball
• Camille Merickel (@camimerickel)
  University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Charlisse Leger-Walker (@charlisse.legerwalker)
  University of California, Los Angeles, Women's Basketball
• Claudia Chang (@claudia.changg)
  Northwestern University, Women's Swimming & Diving
• Daphneé Lavassas (@daphmasterrr)
  University of Miami (Florida), Women's Track, Outdoor
• Elizabeth Edmonston (@elizabeth.edmonston)
  University of California, Berkeley, Field Hockey
• Emily Pierce (@empierce)
  Campbell University, Women's Cross Country
• Emma Hellenkamp (@emmahellenkamp)
  The Ohio State University, Dance
• Fabiola Belibi (@fabiola.belibi)
  Harvard University, Women's Volleyball
• Gemma Wollenschlaeger (@gemmakate__)
  Temple University, Rowing
• Halle Smith (@hallenicolesmith)
  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Women's Basketball
• Hayley Manners (@hayley.manners)
  University of Central Florida, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Hope Briggs (@thehopegabrielle)
  Jackson State University, Women's Volleyball
• Izzy Bianco (@izzy_bianco16)
  University of Louisville, Field Hockey
• Jacey Hinton (@jaceylanehinton)
  University of Miami (Florida), Women's Swimming & Diving
• Kalea Eichenberger (@kaleaeichenberger)
  University of Washington, Women's Soccer
• Karsyn Norman (@karsynnorman)
  Butler University, Women's Basketball
• Katriina Wright (@katriinawright)
  University of Oregon, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Kayla Alexandre (@kayyalexandre)
  Florida A&M University, Softball
• Lauryn Peppers (@lauryngrace._)
  Florida A&M University, Softball
• Leah Croom (@leah.croom3)
  Howard University, Women's Lacrosse
• Leilah Lewinson (@leilah.i)
  Agnes Scott College, Women's Tennis
• Lilly Luft (@lillufter8)
  University of Iowa, Women's Wrestling
• Lusia Lou Langi (@lusialangi)
  Utah Tech University, Women's Volleyball
• Marisa Snee (@marisasnee)
  University of Richmond, Women's Soccer
• Marly Esteves (@marlyestevess_)
  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Women's Gymnastics
• Mia Manson (@mia.mans)
  University of Michigan, Women's Track, Indoor
• Mimi Harris (@mimiharriss)
  Albany State University (Georgia), Women's Volleyball
• Mya Grimes (@myaagrimes)
  Jackson State University, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Mya Georgiadis (@myageorgie)
  Vanderbilt University, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Mykayla Zahorski (@mykaylasbowlingjourney)
  Valparaiso University, Bowling
• Paisley Specht (@paisleyspecht)
  California State University, San Bernardino, Women's Basketball
• Patsy Daughters (@patsy.daughters)
  University of Oregon, Women's Tennis
• Raeven Boswell (@raevenboswell)
  University of Pittsburgh, Women's Basketball
• Saliyah Brady (@saliyahbrady)
  Howard University, Women's Soccer
• Savannah Breitwiser (@savannah.breitwiser)
  Michigan State University, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Skylar George (@skylar_george_)
  Syracuse University, Women's Volleyball
• Sophie Sharp (@sophie_dog922)
  Alvernia University, Women's Wrestling
• Sophie OSullivan (@sophie.osullivan)
  University of Washington, Women's Track, Outdoor
• Tallen Edwards (@thetallenedwards)
  Oklahoma State University, Softball
• Talya Brugler (@talyabrugler)
  Saint Joseph's University, Women's Basketball
• Valencia Fontenelle-Posson (@teamfontenelle)
  Siena College, Women's Basketball