UIW Recognizes National Athletic Training Month

April 1, 2022

UIW Sports Medicine team poses for a pictureThe University of the Incarnate Word is proud to recognize athletic trainers and sports medicine staff during National Athletic Training Month, held annually in March to raise awareness about the important work of athletic trainers. UIW offers both an undergraduate and Master of Science degree in Athletic Training (MSAT), which launched in Summer 2020. The original undergraduate program was established in 2001 to meet the guidelines and standards established by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, the National Athletic Trainers Association Education Council, and the Texas Advisory Board of Athletic Training.

“Athletic trainers are a major piece of our puzzle here,” said UIW women’s soccer head coach Emma Wright-Cates. “They not only help players back through injury, but they also help us guide them through young adulthood. They look after the mental and emotional wellbeing as much as their physical. Our trainer does a great job of being an extra set of ears and eyes for our players to make sure we can always put them in the best possible situations to be successful.”

The UIW Athletics sports medicine staff, comprised of 12 full-time and three graduate assistant athletic trainers, work tirelessly to support and assist the University’s 520-plus Division I student-athletes. The crew assists in both preventative care and rehabilitation for 14 teams over 23 sports.

“When you ask an athletic trainer why they love their job, you may expect an answer like: I love the uniform, or I love being around sports, I love having a front row seat to games,” said Erika Soto, a UIW athletic trainer. “The truth is, it’s so much deeper than that.”

“It’s day in and day out getting to build relationships with incredible humans who have undeniable talents. It’s the small moments when there are no fans in the stands and the smiles on their faces when they get to return to what they love after injury. The reason that we can make it through the long days, weeks, months that collegiate athletics brings is solely because of the student-athletes.”

Learn more about UIW’s undergraduate and graduate Athletic Training programs below.

Undergraduate Pre-Athletic Training Program

Graduate Athletic Training Program