Football
RENO, Nev. – Nevada Football head coach Jeff Choate announced the addition of Brittney Patera, RDN, as the program’s Director of Nutrition.
The first-of-its-kind role for the football program marks another important step in the Wolf Pack’s launch into 2024, Choate’s first season at the helm.
“We’re excited to have Brittney joining our program. She’s built a program from the ground up at Montana State and now she’s got the opportunity to do that here,” said Choate. “It’s a big step for the department to be able to add somebody in nutrition, and a dietitian. It’s a must-have in today’s climate. The education combined with access is what makes the program work. We’ve been doing a great job of providing access to nutrition for our student-athletes but now we’ve got the educational component, which is going to drive the program forward and meet the needs of our student-athletes across the board. I know what a gamechanger it was for Montana State and I think it’s going to be the same for us here at Nevada.”
Patera comes to Reno after seven years in the same role at Montana State. She joined the Bobcats as the department’s, and the Big Sky Conference’s first Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist in February 2017.
In Bozeman, Patera helped Bobcat teams create nutrition options for peak performance and provided education and nutrition counseling for student-athletes. Her work with the football program contributed to Montana State’s run of five-straight FCS playoff berths, including a national championship game appearance in 2021, and FCS semifinal runs in 2019 and 2022.
“When Coach Choate called to see if I’d be interested in joining him at Nevada, it was an easy answer for me. He is passionate about nutrition and sees the value it has for the student-athletes,” Patera said. “I am thrilled to get the opportunity to build another program with him. The excitement and support from staff has been incredible and I truly feel I’ve won the lottery.”
Patera had worked with student-athletes at three different Division I institutions prior to her arrival at Nevada. She served as Washington’s first Sports Nutrition Fellow from 2015-16, assisting student-athletes in nutrition-related recovery and injury prevention, training, and travel menus, along with serving many other roles. She also had tenures as Licensed Sports Dietitian at Cincinnati (2014-15) and as a Registered Dietitian at Buffalo (2013-14).
While in Seattle, Patera also worked with the Mercer Island High School football team in 2016 as Performance Dietitian.
Patera earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences from Chico State in 2011, and her Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition at Buffalo in 2014. She holds a designation as a board certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD).
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