Sam Silver officially joined the Bushnell athletic staff in 2024, heading up mental health services for Beacon Student-Athletes.
In 2022, Silver helped launch a student-athlete wellness program as an undergrad, creating a program that provides a designated counselor to each team, removing barriers to care, and acting as a liason between athletics and the counseling department.
In 2023, Silver was named the winner of the NAIA's Dr. Leroy Walker Champion of Character Award, one of the organization's highest annual honors. She was Bushnell's first recipient of any NAIA major award.
Silver also serves as a member of the NAIA Mental Health Ad-Hoc Committee.
Also an assistant coach for the Bushnell softball team, Silver had a spectacular career as a player for the Beacons on and off the field. As a pitcher, she finished her career ranked in the top-ten all-time in nine different categories and ranks fifth all-time for wins in program history.
During her collegiate career she was also named the winner of the Gardepiey-Peloquin Outstanding Speaker Award, and graduated with a 3.94 GPA in Communication. She went on to earn her Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is pursuing her Associate License for counseling.
