What We Do

the front desk of the student fitness center

In overseeing RISD’s sports clubs and fitness activities, our team provides students accessible ways to achieve and maintain physical and mental health. Through our work we prioritize inclusivity, offer valuable leadership experience, and empower students to promote health and wellness within the campus community.

What we offer

Through the athletic teams we support and the dynamic fitness programs we offer, we help promote creative expression, self-care and teamwork. When participating in athletics and fitness activities at RISD, you will also find leadership and personal growth opportunities.

In addition to taking part in athletics and fitness clubs, you can also take advantage of the Catanzaro Student Fitness Center (SFC), located in the first-year quad. Open free of charge to the entire campus community, our facility holds:

a weight and cardio room equipped with machines and free weights.
areas for stretching and bodyweight exercises.
fitness studios containing gear for boxing, yoga and other fitness activities.

We also offer several fitness classes at the SFC during the academic year. To find out more, check us out on Involved, our student engagement platform.

Athletics and fitness staff

Athletics at RISD and the Student Fitness Center are part of the Center for Student Involvement, an on-campus hub for student engagement that offers opportunities for you to get involved, engage in community, and grow as a critical thinker and global citizen.

Find out more about our staff below. Click a name to send us an email.

A man with a beard smiling in front of a mural

Byron Olson

Joseph N. Gebbia Jr. Assistant Director of Athletics, Center for Student Involvement

Providence native Byron Olson is a RISD alum who received a BFA in Illustration in 2012. He focuses on comics and sequential art in his work, as well as landscapes and life drawing. A RISD basketball player while he was a student, he then spent 10 years as the team’s head coach until 2022–23 season.

Kyree Saintilus

Athletic Coordinator, Center for Student Involvement

Kyree Saintilus is a RISD Illustration alum from Chicago who focuses on sequential art and animation. His work has appeared at the Chicago Cultural Center, in the Black Biennial at the RISD Museum, and been featured by the Society of Illustrators. After a year on RISD’s fencing team, he became interested in exercise through boxing and weightlifting. These activities have inspired in Kyree a strong advocacy for overall mental and physical wellbeing.