Thriving at the Intersection of Athletics, Engineering and Naval ROTC

July 20, 2026 By: Kelly Saavedra Email Media Inquiries Name University Communications and Marketing, Media Relations Email On any given weekday, Dylan Provencher is up and running at Carnegie Mellon University long before most students hit snooze. By 5:30 a.m., the junior mechanical engineering major is already at physical training with the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC). Later in the morning or afternoon, he’s lifting weights or practicing with the Tartans football team. In between, he’s immersed in demanding engineering coursework — while also leading a significant portion of CMU’s NROTC unit. It’s a schedule that might seem impossible…