UMAINE Athletic Training Education Program

03/04/2026

There was great UMaine Black Bear representation at the 2026 MATA Spring Meeting on Monday of this week. The conference, held at Colby College in Waterville, was a great opportunity to learn from experts and network with athletic trainers across the state. One of our very own faculty members, Dr. Shannon Wright, presented her research on athletic trainers’ education and use of manual therapies. She also served as a model for the second presenter, one of our adjuncts, Dr. Amy Curry Murphy, who presented on different mobilization techniques. All around an impactful meeting!

Photo 1: Dr. Wright presenting her research
Photo 2: Dr. Amy Curry Murphy demonstrating a mobilization technique with Dr. Wright as model
Photo 3: Current black bears (staff, faculty, students) who attended the meeting

11/13/2025

We’re so excited for you Madi! Way to go!

The MATA extends our congratulations to Madison Hedrich, a student at the University of Maine, Orono. She is the winner of the 2025 Wes Jordan Scholarship! What a well-deserved honor!

11/13/2025

There was an amazing Black Bear showing at the Fall MATA Meeting on Monday! It was a day filled with learning, networking, and seeing dear friends/colleagues.

Pictured below is a large group photo of current students, alumni, adjuncts, and preceptors who represented UMaine at the meeting. The second photo shows current students and faculty who were able to attend.

10/17/2025

🌟 IPE highlight!! 🌟

Students in our first year cohort got an interprofessional education experience when three EMTs from the University Volunteer Ambulance Corps facilitated an airway management lab yesterday in class. They got to practice adjunct airway insertion, suction, ventilation with a bag-valve mask, and supplemental oxygen administration. A big bonus for the students was getting a chance to go into the ambulance and learn about all of the equipment they use and the value they bring to the table as pre-hospital care providers. Thank you UVAC for an amazing experience for our students!!

10/09/2025

Students in Dr. Lacy’s Acute and Emergency Care class recently practiced their CPR skills on our resident student, Hal. It was a great opportunity for them to understand what it feels like to perform CPR on a more life-like mannequin than the hollow half body mannequins we often practice on. They were given real-time feedback on their compression rate and depth, as well as the amount of oxygen provided and timing of their breaths.

🌟 While this deserves its own post (coming soon), we’ll include a teaser here. We recently finished construction on the UMaine Athletic Training Simulation Lab - Hal’s permanent residence. This lab space offers students the opportunity to practice different life-saving pre-hospital care skills in a low stakes, safe learning environment. We are so excited to be able to provide this space to our students!!!

10/02/2025

A bit of belated news, but exciting news nonetheless!! One of our seniors, Ethan Crawford, was the recipient of the 2025 Clarence Livingood Scholarship provided by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society. Pictured below is Ethan during his summer internship with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Congratulations, Ethan! Keep doing amazing things!

05/07/2025

📢 Student award season continues!! We’re excited to announce this year’s recipients of our program awards.

⭐️ Gabe Benson has been awarded the Paula N. Linder Service Award. He has been instrumental in representing our program well as the Maine State Student Delegate to the EATA. Gabe also served as Vice President of the Athletic Training Student Organization this year and helped spearhead different fundraising efforts to raise money for student professional development. He will be attending the University of South Carolina to complete their Behavioral Health in Athletic Training certificate program.

⭐️ Jared Hoxie received the Sherrie Weeks Outstanding Graduate Award. Jared exemplifies the criteria for this award with his high academic achievements, service to others, and honesty and integrity. He was one of our December graduates and is now working as an athletic trainer with Northern Light.

We’re so proud of you both, and look forward to seeing your future successes!

04/22/2025

This past Friday, the College of Education and Human Development honored the Class of 2025 with two celebrations - one dedicated to undergraduate students and one for graduate students/faculty. Our graduating students were recognized for their contributions to the Athletic Training Student Organization as well as their hard work and dedication to finishing their degrees. Pictured below are three of our students who were able to be in attendance - Gabby Halpern, Emma Lockowitz, and Jordyn Shaw.

A special shout out goes to Jordyn as the recipient of the College’s Outstanding Student in Athletic Training award. 🌟

Congrats soon-to-be 2025 graduates. We’re so proud of you!

Stay tuned for an announcement about the recipients of our program-level awards.

03/07/2025

On Monday at the MATA Spring Meeting, one of our program faculty, Dr. Shannon Wright, was awarded the Mike Linkovich Graduate/Post-Graduate Grant Award. Congratulations, Dr. Wright! We can’t wait to learn about the outcomes of your research.

01/27/2025

🌟 Scholarship Recipients 🌟 - Exciting news to share with you all regarding two of our senior students who received scholarships.

🌟Gabe Benson received the District One Carl Nelson Scholarship and will use it towards the Master’s program he will be completing at the University of South Carolina starting in the Fall.

🌟Jordyn Shaw received the EATA Wes Jordan Honorary Scholarship, named for the former UMaine head athletic trainer.

Congratulations to you both!!

10/25/2024

Last week, students in Dr. Lacy’s emergency care class got to take part in an airway management lab led by two EMTs from UMaine’s University Volunteer Ambulance Corps. As part of the lab, they got to practice adjunct airway insertion, supplemental oxygen administration, and suctioning, and finished by testing their knowledge and skills with a simulated emergency scenario. What a fun and memorable experience! (Cool video of suctioning in comments)

10/16/2024

We’re so grateful to have Paul as an adjunct and preceptor for our program! Thanks for all you do, and congrats on 30 years!!

“Paulie is like another father around the rink,” send Lynden Breen, captain.