Fueling the Hokies for victory

What happens when a collegiate wrestler struggling to make weight himself takes an interest in nutritional science? You get a guy like Clint Wattenberg, associate athletics director, sports nutrition at Virginia Tech who, in concert with the rest of the performance nutrition staff on campus, helps fuel the 600-plus Hokie student-athletes daily.

A two-time All-American on the mat at Cornell, Wattenberg knows better than most what it takes to succeed in competition. And it was there at Cornell where he began his journey with fueling optimally.

“That struggle [to make weight] really solidified my passion for applied sports nutrition and drove me to continue to better understand not only the nutrition and the nutrition science, but the physiology that underlies performance.  This has driven my passion for connecting the dots between performance nutrition with the physiology of training adaptations and outcomes that lead to championship-level performances,” Wattenberg said in an interview this summer.

He began his professional career as a wrestling coach with the Big Red program, before becoming a member of Team USA’s men’s freestyle national wrestling team. In 2010 he secured his registered dietician’s license and became Cornell’s eating disorder specialty nutritionist which led to his role as sports nutrition coordinator. In 2017, he left Cornell to help the UFC Performance Institute get up and running in Las Vegas, but he hungered to get back into the collegiate space.

Enter Virginia Tech.

In the summer of 2023, he had the opportunity to move his family to Blacksburg, one that he leapt at. Now two years into his tenure with the Hokies, Wattenberg plays a key role within the performance team, which encompasses areas like strength and conditioning, sports medicine and CAMP (counseling and mental performance). In concert, these units assist student-athletes in their journeys on campus, providing resources to be their best, both on and off the field of competition.

How does nutrition play a role in overall student-athlete health?

“Nutrition is a foundational part of health, well-being, and at the end of the day, performance,” Wattenberg says. “You’re not going to make someone better at their sport simply by eating better, but what you can do is provide a foundation that allows the student-athlete to train harder, to recover better, to be better prepared to handle the stressors of life.  That leads to performance adaptations.”

Wattenberg and his team of registered dietitians frequently engage in “team talks”, getting in front of each sports program to outline good fueling and recovery strategies, as well as tackling specific topics regarding nutrition which varies from sport to sport. But their support doesn’t end there. The staff is available for more personal counseling too, helping athletes be their best through continued education, personalized plans and optional check ins.

Perhaps the crowning jewel of the nutrition program here at Virginia Tech is the Student-Athlete Performance Center (SAPC), a dining facility that is specifically for student-athletes. A multimillion-dollar facility that has been open for a few years now, the SAPC offers student-athletes the opportunity to enjoy nine complete meals a week (brunch and dinner Monday through Thursday and brunch on Friday). While there is a takeaway option for busy student athletes, the SAPC has become a popular spot for athletes to gather with their peers, not just their teammates, but indeed their larger Hokie family. It is not uncommon to see a table with a variety of athletes represented whether it be tennis, golf, soccer, lacrosse or many others. The space is a hub of activity, not just for fueling but for fellowship.

“We have some key parameters that we need from a nutritional standpoint for our menu that our student-athletes have access to in order to support their varied needs,” Wattenberg said of the menu at the SAPC. “As you can imagine our football players and cross-country runners are going to have quite different nutritional needs as do all of our various student-athletes, and our Sodexo staff led by Chef Seyi do a terrific job of providing this variety.”



Micro and macronutrients are top of mind in the construction of what’s known as a “performance plate”. But no two plates must look the same, they vary based on training and competition demands, personal preference, food history and palette and that’s just in the entrée line. Constants at the SAPC include a salad bar, cold bar and different action stations to meet nutritional and preference needs.

One of the challenges of fueling 600 athletes on 22 different teams is providing options that meet everyone’s needs such as allergen free foods or honoring those who practice a vegetarian diet. Wattenberg and company are equipped to handle these hurdles.

“All of the major allergens are very visibly labeled within the Student-Athlete Performance Center as well as down at the Nutrition Oasis, our Olympic sport fueling station,” he said.  “Additionally, we have an allergy free friendly area in the back corner that is free of any common allergens. There is gluten free bread, dairy free milk, a variety of different options to meet the limited nutrition options that a lot of our student-athletes that have food allergies might be exposed to and its allergy free in terms of being a safe place to prepare those items as well.”

To assist with the vegetarians on campus or those with certain religious limitations, or just preference, the performance team does a lot of education and counseling tailored to what their needs look like and then work with the athletes to meet those needs. So how do you build a performance plate and how can the staff accommodate those picky eaters on campus?

“It starts with having some structure but variety with the various options at the entrée lines,” Wattenberg explained. “As an example, every protein, every starchy carbohydrate, every vegetable, we ensure that there is a safer option, a more comfortable food that our student-athletes would be exposed to previously. So, for the protein, a chicken or a steak is going to be the safer option and chef can include a more eclectic option that could be fish or shrimp or a pork dish, any number of various novel proteins. Same goes for starchy carbs and vegetables so he’ll include some new vegetables that our student-athletes may not have tried before but there is also always a safer option as well.”

For Wattenberg and his staff, they find joy in being a part of each student-athletes journey at Virginia Tech. Nutrition is one aspect of an athlete’s life and to make an impact there is the goal, in addition to fostering an environment of growth, continued learning and trust.

“Being able to sit in a room and make a connection with an athlete and support them in something that maybe they really need help with and to connect the dots with various providers around our athletic department is extremely rewarding,” Wattenberg reflected in his office. “I think that comes from a little bit of my coaching background and making that personal connection, but also in my experience with eating disorder counseling, understanding how intimate nutrition can be and how vital it can be to connect the dots with how nutrition impacts them as well as to other providers that can help support that individual is extremely powerful.”

When you see the Hokies take the field next, or the court, or the mat, or dive into the pool, know that behind each athlete is a dietitian and a fueling strategy to help them be their best.