The Pacific West Conference internship program, in its fifth year, has provided college student-athletes who aspire to careers in college or professional sports a chance to test the waters and gain invaluable experinece at the same time.

For staff members in the PacWest, the interns provide much needed help during the busiest times of the year. Right now is one of those periods, having just finished cross country championships in Hawaii, soccer tournaments in San Diego and Santa Barbara, and currently the volleyball championships in Honolulu.

Jumping into all that activity head first are 2025 Fall interns Jason Riviello and Miranda Diaz. Riviello is a senior pitcher on the Jessup University baseball team while Diaz is a senior infielder at Chaminade. Diaz worked the cross country championships on Oahu a couple of weeks ago, helping with set-up, planning and interviews. Riviello was in Santa Barbara last week, working on graphics, reels and general social media content at the men's soccer championships.

"My internship with the PacWest Conference truly means a lot to me," said Diaz, who is from Whittier, Calif.. "It has given me the opportunity to understand the behind-the-scenes process of organizing championship events and how much time, effort, and teamwork go into making everything run smoothly. Being part of such a welcoming and passionate team has inspired me and strengthened my desire to pursue a career in sports event management."

For Riviello, the internship gives him an opportunity to jump right into the fire of day-to-day work in a conference setting. 

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the PacWest to promote all of our sports and athletes this fall while working with this phenomenal PacWest staff," the Roseville, Calif. native said. "I hope to continue perfecting my craft and taking more steps forward towards my career, post-graduation this spring.”

In addition to working championship events, both Diaz and Riviello join staff members Joe Reinsch and Russ Blunck weekly for meetings via zoom and have assignments during the week to work on. They are also a part of championship planning meetings with the host schools.

"Joe Reinsch and Russ Blunck have been incredible mentors who have guided me, listened to my ideas, and taught me valuable lessons about leadership, communication, and professionalism," added Diaz. "Words can’t describe how grateful I am for this experience, it’s not only preparing me for my future, but it’s also something I genuinely enjoy. Having fun while helping make the PacWest Championships come to life is an unforgettable experience that continues to motivate me every day."

The Fall internship worked out well seasonally for both since softball and baseball will take up more of their time in the Spring as they move towards graduation. Moving into that role for the PacWest team in 2026 will be spring interns Grace Echelbarger and Luke Addington. Echelbarger is a senior runner at Azusa Pacific and Addington is a senior water polo student-athlete at Concordia. 

This year's four interns follow a line of previous interns that have gone on to gain work after graduation, most of them in athletics. Here is that list.
2021-22--Terrence Becvar, Azusa Pacific basketball--now working for Fourth as an I.T. consultant in Austin, Tex.
2022-23--Sam Prusynski, Dominican soccer--Working in the University of Miami ahtletic department as a Video Content Production Specialist.
2022-23--Abigail Laberge, Biola basketball--Now at Point Loma as the Intramural and Compliance Coordinator.
2023-24--Delanie Gearing, Azusa Pacific swimming and water polo. Now at Cal Poly Pomona as the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications.
2023-24--Tucker Pellicci, Hawaii Pacific basketball. Currently with Bectran, Inc. as their Marketing Manager in Chicago.
2024-25--JJ Johnson, Vanguard basketball. Now at Vanguard as their Broadcast and Media Coordinator.
2024-25--Jalyssa Sanchez, Concordia volleyball. Currently with the Los Angeles Chargers in Game Day Communications.
2024-25--Ashana Hinds, Academy of Art basketball. Working in communications for Gatorade, Women's Coaching Alliance and Wilson Sporting Goods.

For more information about 2026-27 PacWest internships, contact Joe Reinsch or Russ Blunck.