Urbana University student Chris Loubier of Tipp City (pictured left) has been awarded the Student Athletic Trainer of the Year from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for his hard work and dedication in the field of athletic training.

The Student Athletic Trainer of the Year award is presented to a student who has distinguished himself or herself as a role model for the athletic training profession and in personal conduct and the allied health services provided to athletes.

In his junior year at Urbana, Loubier is part of the University’s Athletic Training Program. He is a member of Sports Medicine Association.

“Chris is a known and respected leader at Urbana University in the Athletic Training major,” said Associate Professor Melissa Richendollar, Med., A.T.C., Director of Athletic Training Education at Urbana University. “He has made efforts to promote Athletic Training on campus and throughout the community. He has built a solid foundation for a successful career in Athletic Training.”

Urbana University’s Athletic Training Program is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Accreditation means that students who graduate from the University’s Athletic Training Program will qualify to take the National Athletic Trainer’s Association Board of Certification examination.

Passage of the examination qualifies Urbana graduates for employment as athletic trainers in a wide range of professional settings in Ohio and elsewhere. Richendollar explained that only those graduates of a nationally accredited program who pass the certification exam can qualify for Ohio state licensure and practice as an athletic trainer in Ohio. Students who pass the exam will qualify for employment as athletic trainers for secondary schools, junior colleges, four-year colleges and universities, professional sports organizations, sports medicine clinics, health clubs, and industrial settings. Graduates are also able to pursue graduate-level degrees in fields such as athletic training, exercise physiology, and other allied health fields.

The Athletic Training Program at Urbana University, Richendollar said, combines classroom education with clinical field experience to prepare students for a career in athletic training. Field experience settings include the Urbana University athletic training room, local high schools and sports medicine facilities, and a variety of allied health settings. Clinical experience is tied into a series of courses designed to provide students with practical training in their athletic training major.
Loubier said that Urbana’s Athletic Training Program is challenging, well paced, and easy to comprehend. The professors teach from the accredited curriculum.

“I am excited and honored to receive this award,” he said. “I was surprised when I heard that I had won the award. It was truly unexpected.”

The Urbana University junior plans to attend graduate school for athletic training, kinesiology or exercise physiology following graduation. While in graduate school, Loubier hopes to work as an athletic trainer at either the high school or collegiate level.