Article reposted from The Spectrum
Author: Ryan Miller
Southern Utah athletes will be getting more help on the sidelines.
Intermountain Sports Medicine, a division of Intermountain Healthcare, announced Wednesday that it has signed a three-year contract with SUU’s athletic department to provide a certified athletic trainer at all SUU athletic and team events.
“With a strong focus on student-athlete wellness, we are excited to partner with Intermountain Healthcare and subsequently elevate all aspects of our sports medicine vertical,” SUU athletic director Jason Butikofer said. “This strategic alignment will undoubtedly impact our program in the near term and beyond.”
SUU’s director of sports training Ricky Mendini will remain in his position, and SUU’s two current full-time trainers (Zac Wilson and Angela Calicchio) will become employees of both SUU and Intermountain Healthcare, Butikofer said.
With the agreement, SUU will add two additional full-time athletic trainers to the staff. With more manpower, the hope is that the training staff will be better able to assist injured athletes at the time of injury and through the recovery process. The partnership will provide more resources for hurt athletes to receive better care.
“Most athletics events don’t go without injury, and so properly addressing those injuries and getting athletes back to the field of play in a safe manner is our highest priority,” Intermountain Southwest Region Sports Medicine Manager Rhett Farrer said.