INDIANAPOLIS – Students from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business are helping shape the future of track and field in the United States through a new collaboration with USA Track & Field (USATF).
The Indianapolis-based national governing body recently sponsored a competition challenging undergraduate students to develop innovative marketing strategies aimed at attracting and engaging Gen Z audiences—particularly former high school track and field athletes. Five finalist teams, selected by USATF leadership and Kelley School lecturer Doug Eibling, presented their ideas to USATF executives and shared $10,000 in prize money.
“This is at the top of the list of experiences at Kelley that have had an impact on me, professionally and personally,” said Ananya Panchmatia, whose team won the $4,000 first-place prize. “Going into this, I knew absolutely nothing about track, but we were the audience you were targeting. That gave us a unique edge because our idea would work on us.”
Panchmatia and her teammates proposed a social media-first concept blending the sport’s top athletes with emerging content creators, a reality-style competition format, and fan engagement strategies designed to drive USATF membership.
“We are currently in an environment where being younger is a huge advantage because social media shapes narratives across every topic,” Panchmatia added. “If someone isn’t active on social media, it won’t be long before that organization or person becomes obsolete.”
USATF partnered with the Kelley School to launch the competition as part of its broader effort to grow fandom, viewership, and participation ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Students were asked to address several key opportunities, including increasing membership, enhancing broadcast storytelling, and boosting live event attendance.
Other finalist proposals explored fan gamification through apps, deeper data integration into live broadcasts, and partnerships with local run clubs.
“This was a unique opportunity for USATF to gather ideas from young minds who have their finger on the pulse of what motivates the next generation of track and field fans,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “While we were proud to provide this experience to the students at the Kelley School, it was equally valuable for us as an organization.”
The competition launched in November, with more than a dozen individuals and teams submitting proposals. Finalists were announced in late February and presented earlier this month at the Kelley School. Each group delivered a 15-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session with USATF leadership, including Siegel, COO Renee Washington, Chief of Sport Robert Chapman, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Sarah Hollis, and Chief Content and Communications Officer Jay Holder.
“Support from organizations like USATF transforms learning from theoretical to real,” said finalist Robert Seay. “This experience gave me the opportunity to present directly to senior executives on a live business challenge, where the expectation was to deliver actionable insights rather than academic analysis.”
In addition to awarding prize money, USATF plans to continue working with the students to refine their ideas and incorporate elements into its strategic build toward 2028.