Faculty – Health, Wellness, and Exercise Science

Courtney Lewman is an Assistant Professor in the Health, Wellness and Exercise Science department. She joined the department in Fall 2022. She advises students in the Exercise Science – General Healthcare, Exercise Science – Sports Management, and Athletic Healthcare degree programs. She is an alumnus of С²ÝÓ°Ôº and played collegiate soccer for four years as a member of the Lady Ravens. For six years, Courtney worked at the Atchison Hospital, now known as Amberwell Atchison, in the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation department. Her academic degrees have laid the foundation for a career that blends her love for sports and healthcare. Courtney and her husband, Andrew, share the joy of raising three beautiful children. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, cheering for the Chiefs and the Jayhawks, and swinging golfclubs the on the golf course or kicking the ball around with her children. Lewman grew up in Independence, MO, and currently resides in Atchison, KS.

Michael D Kostick is an Assistant Professor in the Health, Wellness and Exercise Science department. He joined the department in Fall 2024. He advises students in the Exercise Science – Teaching Physical Education and Health, Exercise Science – Coaching, and Strength and Conditioning degree programs. Michael taught 5-8 health and physical education before pursuing a Masters and Doctoral degree. Additionally, he has coached high school football and baseball, and collegiate ultimate. Michael’s professional and personal interests surround the intersection of Catholicism with wellness and health and physical education. Before completing his doctoral program, he studied at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmittsburg, MD. Michael is originally from Central Pennsylvania and is an avid Pittsburgh sports fan. He and his wife, Brianna, are active parishioners at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church and St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in St. Joseph, MO. They currently reside in Atchison, KS.

Matthew Bever is an Assistant Professor in the Health, Wellness, and Exercise Science department. He joined the department in Fall 2026. He is the program director for the BA Strength and Conditioning major within the HWES department. Matthew comes to Benedictine after teaching at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and working in private strength and conditioning gyms. His main academic interests are adaptations to exercise, human bioenergetics, and strength and conditioning. Outside of his formal academic training, he is interested in psychology, theology and philosophy. Additionally, he has taken courses through the Theology of the Body Institute. His mission is to integrate the physical, mental, and spiritual components of humans through fitness. He currently resides in Atchison, KS.

Matt McElroy is an Associate Professor in the Health, Wellness, and Exercise Science department. He joined the department in Fall 2024 and advises students in the Exercise Science – General Healthcare and Athletic Healthcare degree programs He earned both his degrees from Kansas State with his academic focus centered around exercise physiology, particularly cardiovascular and muscular physiologies. Before coming to С²ÝÓ°Ôº, he was a Biological Sciences instructor for Highland Community College in Highland, KS. Matt and his wife, Jenny, have 2 boys. He spends a lot of his free time coaching the various teams that his sons play on.  Matt is a fourth generation K-State graduate, bleeds purple, and spends lots of time in Manhattan attending as many K-State sporting events as possible with his family. He grew up in Hiawatha, KS, and currently lives in Holton, KS.