Wesley James Gawel

Mr. Wesley James Gawel

West Virginia University College of Physical Activity and Sports Science
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

6Years (2021-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 December 2021 in Sports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
LRLauren Rentz
Lauren Rentz
Guy HornsbyGuy Hornsby
Guy Hornsby
WGWesley James Gawel
Wesley James Gawel
BRBobby G Rawls
Bobby G Rawls
JRJad Ramadan
Jad Ramadan
SGScott Galster
Scott Galster
As sports technology has continued to develop, monitoring athlete workloads, performance, and recovery has demonstrated boundless benefits for athlete and team success. Specifically, technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS) and heart rate (HR) monitors have granted the opportunity to delve deeper into performance contributors, and how variations may exist based upon context. A team of NCAA Division I women’s soccer athletes were monitored during games throughout one competitive season. Individual athlete, positional groups, and team external and internal workloads were explored for differences based upon game location, opponent ranking, game result, and the final score differential. Game location and opponent ranking were found to have no effect on team-wide absolute or relative external workloads, whereas game result and score differential did. Internal workloads across the team tended to only vary by game half, independent of game context; however, the HR of defenders was determined to be higher during losses as compared to wins (p = 0.0256). Notably, the games that resulted in losses also represented the games with the fewest number of substitutions. These findings suggest high value in monitoring performance and workloads that are characteristic of varying, often multifaceted, contexts. It is hoped that this information can lead to more informed approaches to vital game-time and coaching decisions.