Posted on

Welch Named GNAC Athletic Trainer of the Year

Article reposted from Simmons Athletics
Author: Simmons Athletics

Simmons College Head Athletic Trainer, Michael Welch (Raymond, N.H.) has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Athletic Trainer of the Year, it was announced today by the league.

The recipient is determined by an annual vote among athletic trainers from member schools within the GNAC.

“Mike Welch is one of the finest professionals I have worked with in my career,” said Simmons Director of Athletics, Ali Kantor. “His dedication to student athletes, commitment to high ethics and standards and his compassion are intense — and separate him as an excellent porfessional. We, at Simmons, are so proud to see that his work has been recognized by his peers around the GNAC.”

Welch served as the Head Athletic Trainer for all 10 athletic programs on the Fenway campus. In addition to his daily duties of treating student-athletes on the practice field, the competition site and clinical rehabilitation, Welch also served as a mentor within the sports medicine field. The New Hampshire native created a sports nutrition internship in collaboration with the Nutrition Department on the Simmons campus and oversaw a thriving Sports Medicine internship, partnering with the Exercise Science Department at Simmons.

The Simmons Sports Medicine Department continued to serve as a top clinical site for Lasell College and Boston University athletic training students as a testament to Welch’s trusted knowledge of the sports medicine field and the level of respect he has earned throughout the industry. A graduate of Lasell College, Welch obtained a Graston M1 certification within the past year to help broaden the services available to Simmons student-athletes.

Welch’s expertise was relied upon in the design of the new sports medicine facility at the Sharks’ state-of-the-art $13 million outdoor athletic complex, Daly Field, which is set to open in August of 2016. Welch is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and has developed in and off-seasoning conditioning programs for all of Simmons athletic teams.

Prior to his six years of service at Simmons, Welch served as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts from 2008 to 2010. While with the Minutemen, he worked directly with the nationally ranked Women’s Softball team, Men’s Soccer Team, and assisted in the daily coverage of all 21 intercollegiate programs. While at UMass Amherst, Welch earned a Master’s degree in Kinesiology in May 2010.

He competed as a varsity athlete on the soccer team at his alma mater in addition to serving as a student Athletic Trainer.

Welch is currently pursuing a degree in Health Professions Education at Simmons, where he plans to expand his interest in exercise, sports medicine, and health care in the Boston area.