Image by UMass Lowell Former student researcher Kevin Yon '23, '24 conducts friction testing on sports balls in one of the Center for Sports Engineering and Performance’s laboratories, analyzing how surface properties influence performance. The new center advances research in equipment design and athlete performance across a wide range of sports.
Media contacts: Brooke Coupal, communications, economic impact and research development specialist (email: Brooke_Coupal@uml.edu), and Nancy Cicco, associate director of media relations (email: Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu).
LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell is expanding its leadership in sports research with the launch of the Center for Sports Engineering and Performance, bringing together interdisciplinary researchers, sporting goods manufacturers and sports leagues to enhance equipment design and athlete performance.
The new center draws on the university’s expertise in engineering, biomechanics and human performance to test how sports equipment performs and holds up over time, generating data that guides product development, informs industry standards and improves how athletes safely train and compete. Through partnerships with companies and sports leagues, the center will align its research with the needs of the sporting industry and apply its findings in real sports settings.
“UMass Lowell has built a strong reputation for applying research to real-world challenges, and this center is a natural extension of that work,” said Anne Maglia, vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development. “By connecting our faculty expertise with industry and sports partners, we are creating new opportunities to advance sports technology, support innovation and make a meaningful impact on how athletes perform.”
The Center for Sports Engineering and Performance builds upon the extensive research of the university’s Baseball Research Center, which has maintained more than two decades of continuous research collaboration with Major League Baseball (MLB) while operating as an independent testing laboratory supporting MLB’s research and equipment evaluation needs. The Baseball Research Center, which will be housed under the new center, is also working with the United Pickleball Association of America and Pickle Pro Labs to develop testing standards for pickleball equipment.
“We value the independent engineering research UMass Lowell’s Baseball Research Center has provided us for equipment important to our game,” said Kevin Ma, the MLB’s senior director of medical and equipment. “The new Center for Sports Engineering and Performance creates additional opportunities to further that work.”
“As the sport of pickleball continues to grow, establishing consistent, data-driven equipment standards is increasingly important,” said Gary Brody, founder of Pickle Pro Labs. “Our collaboration with UMass Lowell brings scientific rigor to that process, and the new center will help expand this work and its impact across the sport.”
Patrick Drane, director of the Center for Sports Engineering and Performance and assistant director of the Baseball Research Center, said the new center will expand research collaborations across additional sports and disciplines.
“The Baseball Research Center has shown how rigorous testing and close collaboration with leagues can directly influence equipment standards and performance,” he said. “With the launch of the Center for Sports Engineering and Performance, we’re expanding that approach across more sports, integrating more disciplines and applying the same level of analysis and industry engagement to drive innovation.”
As a Carnegie R1 research university with Division I athletics, UMass Lowell offers a strong foundation for advancing sports engineering and performance. The university also offers the only sports engineering minor in the United States.
Additionally, UMass Lowell is home to two sports franchises. The Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League plays its home games at the university’s Tsongas Center and, beginning in May, the university’s LeLacheur Park will host the home games in the inaugural season of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League’s Lowell Spinners. Both teams make vital contributions to the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, a growing innovation ecosystem that drives research and economic growth for the Greater Lowell area.
The Center for Sports Engineering and Performance will play a key role in preparing the next generation of engineers and researchers, offering students hands-on experience in sports performance systems, equipment testing and data-driven analysis.
Susan Roberts, dean of the Francis College of Engineering, said the new center reflects UMass Lowell’s commitment to providing students with career-connected experiences.
“This center creates new opportunities for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real challenges in sports engineering,” she said. “By integrating engineering with human performance and industry collaboration, we are preparing graduates to lead in a rapidly evolving field.”