Student-athletes receive WHOOP wearables

The University of North Georgia (UNG) is expanding its bold investment in human performance by issuing WHOOP wearables to 54 student-athletes this fall, reinforcing the university's commitment to health, wellness and leadership development on and off the field. 

Following the success of a spring 2025 pilot, in which student-athletes reported measurable improvements in recovery, sleep and performance awareness, UNG Athletics and the Institute for Peak Performance (IPP) are collaborating to integrate WHOOP across multiple high-demand men's and women's teams. 

"This is about awareness driving the opportunity to improve," said retired Col. Bryan Kirk, IPP executive director. "When athletes can see the direct impact of sleep, nutrition, training, and stress on their performance on the field and in the classroom, they begin to implement performance improvement skills and habits."

The initiative reflects a material investment by the university and underscores UNG's vision to build the most competitive, value-added NCAA Division II athletics program in the nation — a strategic big bet that complements its Corps of the future and academic strengths. 

In the past two seasons, six different UNG teams have captured conference championships. At the NCAA level, 10 programs have made postseason appearances, and five programs have reached their respective NCAA championship sites, highlighted by men's golf being the national runner-up in 2024 and Hunter Smith winning the individual men's golf national title in 2025. These successes, combined with the classroom performance of UNG's student-athletes, illustrate the dual mission of athletic and scholastic excellence. 

"WHOOP provides insights to our athletes that enable them to consider better personal decision-making to enhance performance," said UNG Athletic Director Mary Rob Plunkett. "We are transitioning them to how to think, not just what to think, in any environment. The WHOOP allows athletes to adapt wear location to meet sport requirements, while the platform delivers personalized insights to help them peak at the right moments — whether that's game day or exam week."

Kendall Emener, a women's basketball player from Macon, Georgia, who is pursuing a degree in management, said her WHOOP band has allowed her to see the impact of hydration on sleep. Emener, a junior, said the data players receive allows them to make better decisions.

"It's interesting to see how all of the training affects our body differently every day. The numbers help us track our strain and recovery," Emener said. "It helps us with our lifestyle off the court, which allows us to be better on the court."

Max Garnett, a senior men's soccer player from Auburn, Georgia, who is pursuing a degree in kinesiology with a health and fitness concentration, is grateful for real-time information on recovery, sleep and strain.

"It's definitely opened my eyes to better understanding how quality sleep can help my overall health," Garnett said.

WHOOP, widely used by professional athletes and elite military units, provides continuous data on recovery, strain and sleep.

"At WHOOP, our mission is to empower individuals to unlock their highest potential," said Jeff Phelps, business development lead at WHOOP. "We're proud to partner with the University of North Georgia to support cadets and student-athletes with continuous, personalized insights on recovery, sleep and performance."

For UNG, the rollout marks another defining step toward a culture of holistic performance — developing leaders of character who thrive in competition, in the classroom and in life.