MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Athletic Department has announced the hiring of three positions within the department through various areas of the staff.
 
Mackenzie Briskie was hired as the Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach, Delanie Candela was named Manager of Sales & Fan Engagement, while Seth Dittmer was added as Communications Assistant.
 
Briskie is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a Certified Level 1 Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting (USAWL-1).
 
She joins the department after serving in an interim capacity during the spring 2023 semester, working primarily with women's basketball, women's soccer, swimming & diving, and the jumpers and sprinters on the track & field programs.
 
Before coming to Milwaukee, Briskie worked in several roles in the greater Milwaukee area including stops at the Pete Mueller Performance Group as well as Wisconsin Sports Performance in Menomenee Falls.
 
Briskie's career included collegiate stops as a graduate assistant strength & conditioning coach at Minnesota State-Mankato, working primarily with four of the Mavericks programs including the softball program that had won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship and made a pair of appearances at in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship. Other stops included internships with Milwaukee, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin.
 
Briskie earned her bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on Strength & Conditioning at UW-Oshkosh, before enhancing her degree with a Master's in Sport and Exercise Psychology while at Minnesota-Mankato.
 
Candela will be responsible for assisting in the areas of both ticket sales and fan engagement, while spearheading efforts for youth engagement at future Panther events.
 
She came to Milwaukee following an eight-month stint with the Kenosha Kingfish of the Northwoods Collegiate Baseball Summer League as the Community Engagement Manager. While with the Kingfish, Candela was responsible for planning community engagement opportunities including the Kingfish Reading Program and the Kids Club, in addition to coordinating many of the in-game entertainment pieces during Kingfish games.
 
Prior to her time in Kenosha, she was with the Rockford Rivets, also of the Northwoods League. She began as a marketing intern in the summer of 2021, before becoming the head of marketing during her final eight months with the organization. Candela was responsible for multiple tasks which included serving as the main contact for fan services and was also responsible for on-field promotions, script writing, and planned player appearances and events.
 
Candela received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in May of 2022, majoring in advertising management while also minoring in health promotions. She is currently enrolled at Louisiana State University in their sports management program, as she looks to obtain her master's degree.
 
Dittmer will work in the Communications and Multimedia office and be responsible for the day-to-day publication of the Panther cross country, swimming & diving, and track & field programs.
 
He began at Milwaukee in August after serving at nearby Cardinal Stritch University as the Assistant Coordinator of Athletic Communications. While with the Wolves, Dittmer was responsible for nine varsity sports as a media contact, which included post-game recaps, social media, and recording in-game statistics.
 
While with Cardinal Stritch, Dittmer also oversaw the department's live streaming efforts, while also assisting in general gameday operations. His role also included keeping the department's athletic website up to date, including roster and schedule pages in addition to statistical archiving as well as general and event releases.
 
Dittmer is no stranger to Milwaukee, having been a member of the Panther men's basketball program for two seasons. Academically, he was a two-time Horizon League Academic Honor Roll selection in each of his two eligible semesters.
 
Following his sophomore year, Dittmer transferred to Cedarville University in Ohio, where he continued his basketball career and obtained his bachelor's degree in broadcasting, digital media, and journalism. He was a three-time Dean's List honoree and was also elected to Lambda Pi Eta, the student-athlete national honor society.