Johns Hopkins University Athletics introduced Gagan Garg as the Faculty-Coach for the Blue Jay Women’s Soccer Team on Sept. 15, 2026. Garg, an Associate Teaching Professor at Johns Hopkins in his fifth year at the university, will support the team’s scholar-athletes as part of the department’s Faculty-Coach initiative.
The Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics debuted the initiative during the 2025-26 academic year. Faculty-Coaches serve as honorary members of coaching staffs, answer academic questions and help direct scholar-athletes to university resources, particularly first-year students.
Garg Joins Blue Jay Women’s Soccer
The Faculty-Coach role carries an initial two-year commitment with an option to extend. Faculty members may attend games, practices and team events as their schedules allow, including end-of-year banquets and awards ceremonies.
Garg said Ava Venuti recommended him for the role after several members of the Blue Jay Women’s Soccer Team took his courses. He identified Maria Romo Nichols, Megha Salvi, Venuti and Kendall Frederick among those student-athletes.
Garg said he is “still getting to know the team.” He attended the team banquet in spring 2026, where speeches by Romo Nichols and Salvi gave him a closer look at the relationships within the team.
Garg Hopes to Serve as Faculty Adviser
Garg said he hopes to serve as a faculty adviser for the team. He wants to help student-athletes with course selection, choosing a major, graduate school applications, summer internships and introductions to alumni.
“My personal goal is to learn about the offside rule, I still don’t understand it,” Garg said. He also discussed his conversations with Head Coach Dan Weiler and the demands student-athletes manage through training, games, lifting, conditioning and travel.
Garg said he was not a student-athlete but tried several sports during his Ph.D. studies. Cricket is his favorite sport, and he said he was an avid motorcyclist in his 20s who rode a Royal Enfield motorcycle through India.
Faculty-Coach Initiative Connects Academics and Athletics
The Faculty-Coach initiative is designed to build relationships and community between academic affairs and athletics. Faculty-Coaches provide an additional support person for scholar-athletes while helping connect them with academic guidance and campus resources.
Garg encouraged other faculty members to participate in the program. “Get involved. The time commitment is not high,” he said.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Gagan Garg’s appointment gives the Blue Jay Women’s Soccer Team an additional academic resource through Johns Hopkins University Athletics’ Faculty-Coach initiative. His existing relationships with members of the team and his attendance at the spring banquet provide an early connection to the program.
Garg’s stated interest in advising student-athletes on academics, graduate school and internships aligns with the initiative’s purpose of connecting academic affairs and athletics. The two-year commitment also gives the Johns Hopkins community time to develop the faculty-athlete relationship.
Source: Original report
