Posted on

Southern Maine Students Honored

Two current USM students and an alumnus were honored for their achievements in the field of athletic training after attending the Maine Athletic Trainers’ Association’s (MATA) Spring Banquet and Clinical Symposium on March 4.

USM senior athletic training students Samantha Davol (pictured top, right) and Nate Colpitts (pictured bottom, middle) were the recipients of the Wes Jordan and Carl Nelson scholarships, respectively, while USM alumnus Kyle Gilson ’11, athletic trainer at Maine Central Institute (MCI), was presented with the MATA’s prestigious Bill Cox Service Award.

Students, faculty and staff from USM’s Athletic Training Program were in attendance as their peers accepted the accolades at the banquet.

“It is quite impressive that students from USM’s Athletic Training Program were awarded the Wes Jordan and Carl Nelson scholarships through the MATA, and that an alum of the program received the MATA’s prestigious Bill Cox Service Award,” said Brian Toy, director of the Athletic Training Education Program at USM. “These accomplishments have once again highlighted the quality of both the students enrolled in USM’s Athletic Training Program and of those alumni currently working in the field of athletic training.”

The Wes Jordan award, sponsored by the MATA, is named for the former longtime athletic trainer at the University of Maine, while the Carl Nelson scholarship is named for the former longtime athletic trainer at Colby College. These competitive awards are presented to deserving students of athletic training who have distinguished themselves academically and who are dedicated to the profession. Both scholarships are awarded by District One of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA).

Both Davol and Colpitts are currently completing their athletic training capstone internship experiences and plan to continue their education after graduation.

Named in honor of Bill Cox who worked for many years as an athletic trainer for Maine General Sports Medicine and Waterville High School, the Bill Cox Service Award recognizes a state of Maine athletic trainer who has enhanced athletic health care and who has made significant contributions to the professional development and advancement of the athletic training profession.

While a student at USM, Gilson served as the vice president of the Athletic Training Student Association and was the planning chair for the 2010 Maine State Athletic Training Student Symposium. After completing his degree in athletic training from USM, Gilson accepted an athletic training graduate assistantship position at Thomas University in Thomasville, Georgia, where he completed his master’s degree. A 2015 inductee into the Chi Sigma Iota International Honor Society, Gilson currently serves as the Public Relations Chair for the MATA. In addition, under Gilson’s leadership, MCI was recently awarded the NATA’s Safe Sport School Award, an award which recognizes secondary schools who have made a commitment to keeping student athletes safe and healthy during interscholastic athletic participation.

“Indeed, the program is extremely proud of both its current students and of all its alumni,” added Toy.

Click here to learn more about USM’s Athletic Training program.

CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL ARTICLE