Bryce Abbey has always been dedicated to health and wellness.
As an athlete, that was an important part of his success.
The Goodland, Kansas, native came to UNK in 2001 to wrestle for then-head coach Marc Bauer, who currently serves as the school’s athletic director. Abbey became a four-time All-American, winning 134 matches to set a new school record. He helped the Lopers win four straight conference and regional titles, as well as a national duals championship.
The 2017 UNK Athletic Hall of Fame inductee was part of four teams that placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Division II Championships, including the program’s first-ever national runner-up finish in 2003.
Off the mat, Abbey was an All-Scholar honoree who discovered a passion for research through UNK’s Undergraduate Research Fellows program. He assisted UNK faculty member Kate Heelan with the Walking School Bus program, in which UNK student volunteers walked children to and from their elementary schools as a way to increase physical activity and decrease excessive weight gain.
After that experience, Abbey knew he wanted to continue this type of work.
“Community wellness has always interested me in how we can make an impact on a group of people instead of a single individual. When we can change the behaviors of many people, we can have an impact on a community,” he said.
Abbey earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2004 and continued his graduate studies at UNK, receiving a Master of Arts in Education, exercise science, in 2006. He immediately accepted a full-time position as director of UNK’s Human Performance Lab and became an adjunct lecturer and the employee health and wellness director on campus the following year.
Abbey joined the UNK exercise science faculty in 2013, then completed his doctorate in human sciences with a specialization in nutrition and health sciences through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Now an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences, Abbey wears several hats on campus and in the community, whether he’s teaching, promoting employee health initiatives, officiating local and state wrestling meets or engaging in events like the annual Nebraska Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day.
Tell us about your roles on campus:
As an exercise science associate professor, I teach Sports Nutrition, Community Nutrition, Intro to Nutrition and Gross Anatomy (cadaver-based anatomy). I also serve on various committees, including Faculty Senate, COE Technology Committee and UNK Institutional Biosafety Committee, and I serve as the faculty athletic representative for UNK Athletics.
As the employee health and wellness director, I organize screening opportunities for staff, as well as host the Employee Health and Benefits Fair. We also offer various programs, including heart health events and the poker walk, an event that promotes physical activity on campus through poker.
Talk about your involvement with Nebraska Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day:
I have served many roles with Nebraska Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day. Currently, I oversee the hand-washing education station with my Community Nutrition class, but I also have a large role with the coordination and organization of the event. A lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into the event. It takes a lot of people to host more than 750 area fourth graders.
How have you stayed connected with wrestling?
After my wrestling career, I began officiating wrestling and have officiated at all levels from youth to collegiate matches. My son, Kade, also started wrestling at a young age and is now a junior on the Kearney High School wrestling team. My daughter, Sloane, started wrestling in middle school and is now a freshman on the KHS girls wrestling team.
What does it mean to you to see your kids share that same passion?
I have always pushed my kids to try multiple sports and not just wrestle because I wrestled. Now for them to both come to their own passion for wrestling has been fun to watch. I am not sure that I am the best wrestling fan, having wrestled and officiated for so long, because I don’t do so well not being in control of what is happening on the mat. We are definitely a wrestling family and even my wife, Erin, will watch wrestling duals on TV without me.
What do you love most about UNK?
I love the people the most. UNK is a special place to work because of the faculty, staff and students. Nineteen years ago, I would have said my job was only temporary and I would be moving. Now I can’t imagine living and working anywhere else.
Share a fun fact about yourself:
I won a game show in 2018 called “TKO: Total Knock Out,” hosted by Kevin Hart. What a fun experience to compete on TV and watch the show air on CBS with my friends and family.
