From the first snap to a game-winning kick on game day, every player needs to be ready to make a play. The mind of an athlete must stay sharp, constantly aware of the next move. The body must be strong, prepared to handle the physical demands of the game.
Endless hours on the field and in the weight room ignite a fire within athletes who have worked tirelessly to reach the Division I level. However, no fire comes without fuel, and for the Nevada football team, their fuel is provided by Director of Nutrition Brittney Patera.
Patera became the football program’s first director of nutrition when she arrived at Nevada in February 2024.
No stranger to starting up a new position, she was also the first registered dietitian/nutritionist in the Big Sky Conference, working at Montana State University for seven years. Prior to Montana State, Patera interned at the University of Washington’s sports nutrition program. While there, she met the person who would ultimately connect her to both Montana State and Nevada: Head Coach Jeff Choate.
During his time at Washington, Choate got to know Patera and recognized she would be a strong addition when he became head coach at Montana State.
“So when I got the job at Montana State, that was a hole that we had, just like when I got the job here, that was a hole that we had, no nutrition program at MSU,” Choate said.
During her time at Montana State, Patera built the nutrition program from the ground up, expanding it into a resource that served all sports.
“And I think that was a game changer, not just for the football program at MSU, but the whole athletic department,” Choate said. “That gave them an edge over a lot of teams that they were playing at the Big Sky level.”
This work was recognized again when Choate arrived at Nevada in December of 2023. Just days after being named head coach, Patera received a call.
“I honestly blacked out,” Patera joked. “He just said, ‘Hey. So you may have seen, I got the head coaching job at Nevada, and I want you to come do nutrition for me.’”
Her experience building a program from scratch made the transition seamless, allowing her to implement an effective system quickly.
“What we did at Montana State, it took us a year to do that here [at Nevada], where it was like three years there,” Patera said.
Another factor that eased her transition was the opportunity to focus solely on nutrition for the football program.
“Football is such a family environment, it is very structured and there’s a lot of accountability,” Patera said.
That ‘family environment’ is exactly what Patera and her program have created. To her, nutrition goes beyond simply stocking a fueling station. “Man, she [Patera] is as good as it gets,” Choate said. “She even takes them [the athletes] grocery shopping on Sundays.”
Patera’s work ranges from grocery shopping and cooking lessons to personalized meal plans and weekly team meetings focused on education.
Junior cornerback Xavien Abercrombie said he has felt the impact, especially after transferring from a smaller program.
“I came from Weber State – no nutritionist. Well, we did have one but they were never there,” Abercrombie said. “Miss Brittney changed that for me. She’s always here working hard, giving us the right plan that fits each individual.”
Patera’s influence has been evident to the athletes and staff alike, including Jason Loscalzo, head strength and conditioning coach for Nevada football.
“Looking at what our athletes look like and how they recover faster and gain weight, lose weight, learning how to eat better, learning how to take care of themselves,” Loscalzo said. “That’s no small task.”
Loscalzo’s football experience spans from playing the sport himself at the collegiate level at Sierra College and Humboldt State, to working as head strength and conditioning coach for the Chicago Bears. With a background in kinesiology and a minor in sports nutrition, Loscalzo also recognizes how proper fueling translates to performance and how a serious nutrition program can prepare a player for the next level.
“It doesn’t matter what level you’re at, building muscles is building muscle, eating correctly is eating correctly,” Loscalzo said.
Working closely with athletes every day, he said he even sees subtle improvements tied to hydration, diet and supplementation, all habits reinforced by Patera. Even something as simple as hydration can have a major impact.
“The majority of soft tissue injuries that I’ve encountered in my career come from dehydration,” Loscalzo said. “Guys are not being hydrated correctly, but we have that piece [correct hydration], we have been outstanding in the area of soft tissue injuries.”
He also pointed to improvements in weight management, recovery and overall nutritional awareness since the program’s implementation. “We were 12-0 in nutrition this year,” Patera joked.
Patera’s success extends beyond wins and losses. It also represents progress for women working in a male-dominated field.
“I’m able to help other females in the workplace, and here, I’ve been given a voice to almost speak out as an advocate for them, and, like, share my experiences with people,” Patera said.
Patera is one of four female football nutritionists from the 2025 Mountain West Conference teams, alongside UNLV, Boise State University, and San Jose State University.
Utah State University and Air Force Academy both have female nutritionists, but not specifically for football. Two schools in the conference, Fresno State University and University of Wyoming, have men in those roles. The remaining programs do not have dedicated nutritionists.
More and more women across the country are finding opportunities in football, something Patera hopes will continue.
“There are so many benefits of having females in a male-dominated sport, because females are wired differently anyways, and so you can bring so many different benefits to it,” Patera said.
Despite working across multiple levels of football, one thing has remained a constant for Loscalzo: performance, not gender, is what matters most.
“People that are doing a good job need to be celebrated,” Loscalzo said. “We’re all here to win, and we’re all here to develop these players.”
Working in the football and sports industry for many years, Patera wants her success to be a message for women who want to enter a field of work that may seem male-dominated.
“It’s being confident in yourself and almost not backing down. You do have a seat at the table and not shy away from that, or be afraid to speak up because it can be intimidating,” Patera said.
Heading into her third year with Nevada, Patera said she hopes to continue seeing the program grow, watching the athletes develop and inspiring women to use their voice and skills to thrive in any field.
