Athletics Announces New Staff Additions
By Bryant Marks
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA – Richard Bland College of William & Mary Director of Athletics Scott Newton has announced the appointment of Omar Ahmad, Travis Abele, Jessica McCabe, and Tahj Scott to the Athletic Department.
Ahmad was named assistant director of athletics and sport performance coach. Ahmad will be responsible for student-athlete compliance in accordance with NJCAA protocols. Ahmad comes to RBC from HCA Virginia Sports Medicine where he was responsible for the design and supervision of training programs for middle school, high school, professional and adult recreation athletes. Before working at HCA, he was the Assistant Director of Athletic Performance at the University of Missouri, overseeing all strength and conditioning programs for the men's and women's Swimming and Track & Field teams. Ahmad is a 2008 graduate of the University of North Carolina Asheville. He earned his Master of Physical Education from University of North Carolina Pembroke and is currently working towards his Doctorate at East Tennessee State University. Ahmad currently resides in Richmond with his wife, Anna.
Abele joins RBC as an assistant women's volleyball coach. A four-year starter on the men's team at Eastern Mennonite University, Abele became the first player in school history to record 150 kills, 150 digs, and 250 assists in a season. He also ranks in the top-10 in more than five statistical categories for his career. As an EMU student he assisted the Women's Volleyball team for four years. He received a Bachelor's in Business Administration from EMU in 2019. Previously, Abele served as Hanover High School's head girls' Volleyball Coach for five years.Abele resides in Richmond and plays competitively for the Richmond Volleyball Club.
McCabe will be the new assistant softball coach and assistant to athletics. McCabe will help manage day-to-day processes and budgets. She joins RBC after playing four years at James Madison University as a pitcher/infielder. At JMU she was part of two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Conference Championships, three NCAA Regional Tournaments, and JMU's first ever Super Regional Tournament, that fell just one game short of the Women's College World Series. She graduated from JMU with a Bachelor's in Sports & Recreation Management in 2018. McCabe has also assisted in Jennie Fitch Softball Camps for the past three years.
Scott joins RBC as Assistant Men's Basketball Coach. Previous to arriving at RBC, Scott was an assistant coach at St. Andrews University in North Carolina for three seasons. A 2012 graduate of Kecoughton High School in Hampton, Scott played collegiately at St. Andrews University for three seasons, serving as team captain. Scott graduated from St. Andrews University in 2016 with a Bachelor's in Pyschology and holds a Master of Buisness Administration from St. Andrews. Scott is currently a PGC Basketball Instructor, the assistant coach for Team Loaded U16, and trains high-level high school and college players in the offseason. He has been involved with many high-profile basketball camps, including the internationally held Global Squad Camp where he helped coach Team Denmark. Scott has also coached the U19 USA-West Basketball team and was a 2018 USA Gold Medalist.