When a Dartmouth student-athlete suffers a concussion, athletic trainers alert academic support staff to help arrange testing accommodations. Mental performance coaches reach out, and nutritionists adjust fueling plans for upcoming travel. Those steps are part of the day-to-day work of Dartmouth Peak Performance, a 31-person support team that serves more than 900 varsity student-athletes.
The program, often referred to as DP2, has become a central piece of how Dartmouth Athletics delivers services that go beyond training and competition. According to executive associate athletics director Austin Driggers, who joined Dartmouth in February 2024 to lead the program, DP2 is built around a philosophy that prioritizes student-athletes’ overall well-being.
“You say human performance, the first word is human,” Driggers said. He holds a Ph.D. in health and human performance from Concordia University Chicago.
Founded in 2011, Dartmouth Peak Performance has developed into what Driggers described as a holistic model organized around eight service areas: academic support, career development, leadership and mental performance, sport and counseling psychology, nutrition, medicine, strength and conditioning, and sport science and performance technology.
Driggers said roughly 80 to 90% of teams engage with service areas beyond core offerings like athletic training and strength work. “Our athletic trainers work with all of our teams, and then our strength and conditioning staff works with all of our teams,” Driggers said. “Among varsity student-athletes, that number is basically 100% because of sports medicine and strength and conditioning.”
Women’s hockey player Maura Fiorenza ‘26 said the range of resources is both broad and easy to access. “There are just so many resources, and it’s very accessible to use at any time, always right at your fingertips,” she said.
Women’s hockey head coach Maura Crowell, who is in her second season at Dartmouth after previous experience at the University of Minnesota at Duluth and Harvard University, said the structure of DP2 stands out compared with other athletic departments.
“I’ve worked at many other institutions and to have the specific resources that we have in DP2 for athletics is rare,” Crowell said. “Normally, a student-athlete would have to go around campus and find those resources just like other students. To have it housed in athletics and be so accessible to our student athletes is a massive bonus.”
One key component of that model is coordination when injuries affect academics. Driggers said that when a student-athlete sustains an injury with potential academic impact, athletic trainers quickly contact assistant athletics director Stacey Bridges, who can work with others across campus to help set up accommodations.
“When an injury is sustained that could impact academics, such as a broken foot requiring a boot, a hand in a cast or a concussion, athletic trainers immediately contact assistant athletics director Stacey Bridges,” Driggers said. Bridges “can proactively work with others across campus to let them know and make accommodations,” he added.
Fiorenza said DP2’s academic support has been important since her first year. “I’ve met with Bridges to help with major planning and course selection,” she said.
DP2 also emphasizes mental health and mental performance as part of athletic success. The sport and counseling psychology service area provides licensed psychologists for both clinical and sports psychology needs, according to the article.
Fiorenza pointed to ongoing work with Corrigan Family Assistant Athletics Director for Leadership and Mental Performance Lorna Harkins, who regularly meets with the women’s hockey team. Harkins, Fiorenza said, “comes and does different team exercises with us to kind of get our team bonded closer and on the same page about working together.” Fiorenza added that Harkins has also met with smaller leadership groups. “She’s done sessions with our captains, sessions with just our seniors to target specific areas, largely leadership-based,” Fiorenza said.
Technology is another growing pillar of the program. Crowell said the women’s hockey team has started using tracking devices that measure movement patterns, workloads, heart rate, and recovery metrics. The data, she said, is informing how coaches plan practices.
“I get detailed reports on a daily basis as to outputs on each athlete,” Crowell said. “When I’m creating practice plans, I can reflect back on those numbers and make sure that we’re doing a good job.”
Driggers said DP2’s goals extend beyond immediate performance outcomes. He described the program as using athletics to support student-athletes’ longer-term growth, including leadership development.
“The purpose of athletics at Dartmouth and other Ivy League institutions is to enhance the learning and the growth and development of our student athletes,” Driggers said. “That doesn’t mean winning is not important. Most of those processes are facilitated by the ultimate goal of striving to win and be successful in your sport. It’s the pursuit of those things that really delivers a lot of that value.”
Looking ahead, Driggers identified nutrition and mental performance as priorities for DP2, along with continuing to integrate data across the program’s service areas. This focus on expanding support services reflects broader campus initiatives to enhance student resources. “We want to get one percent better every day,” Driggers said. “Really, we’re trying to cultivate the mindsets, the skills, the habits, behaviors, the attitudes that [athletes] need to do all those things well.”
