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Zoe Smith, a doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, earned first prize in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) President’s Cup competition held during the organization’s 2026 annual meeting May 26-29 in Salt Lake City.

The competition provides an opportunity for students to display their research and compete against some of the top student researchers across the country. Competitors present their work via a 5-minute talk followed by a Q&A session with the judges. 

Smith previously won the New England chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (NEACSM) President’s Cup at its fall conference, for which she received a $1,200 travel stipend to attend the ACSM annual meeting. She joined 11 regional conference winners invited to present and represent their chapters at the national event.

Smith works in the Muscle Physiology Laboratory under the guidance of Distinguished Professor Jane Kent. Her research talk focused on differences in knee extensor muscle specific power (power/fat-free muscle size) between older adults with healthy mobility and older adults with mobility impairments (i.e., slower walking, having trouble holding balance positions, taking longer to stand up from a chair).

“I am excited and grateful to receive this award from ACSM,” Smith says. “I was surprised because the research and presentations from my competitors were exceptional. I think ultimately what made me successful in this competition was the great mentorship I have gotten from Dr. Kent and the opportunities that I have had within the Kinesiology Department and SPHHS to practice and improve how I present my research to a variety of audiences.”

Smith is believed to be the first UMass Amherst kinesiology student to take home the President’s Cup at the national competition.