Bridget Kunkel joined the University of Virginia Athletics as a Sports Dietitian in December of 2025. In her role, her work is centered around developing student-athlete competence and success in nutrition foundations concepts, meal planning, and assessment of food security. Prior to UVA, Kunkel worked as a Sports Dietitian at both Northwestern University Athletics and a Sports Dietitian fellow at Wake Forest University.
A former Division I collegiate cross country and track athlete, she completed her bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in Nutrition and Dietetics before going on to receive her master's degree from Loyola University Chicago.
Kunkel is a registered dietitian (RD) and board-certified sports dietetics specialist (CSSD) who is actively involved in the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association (ASPDA) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).
In her free time, you can find Bridget spending time with her family, running, taking part in Pilates classes, learning how to play pickleball, and hiking.