FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of Mount Ida Athletics Communications
WINTHROP, Mass. – Mount Ida College Head Athletic Trainer Katy Annunziata has been named the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Athletic Trainer of the Year, it was announced on Thursday by the league office.
The recipient is determined by an annual vote among athletic trainers from member schools within the GNAC.
Annunziata, a native of North Haven, Conn., is about to enter her seventh season as a member of Mount Ida College Athletic Training staff. After serving as an assistant from 2011 until January of 2016, Annunziata took over the position of Interim Head Athletic Trainer before being named Head Athletic Trainer in May of 2016.
“There are so many quality head athletic trainers in the GNAC, so it’s really an honor to be recognized amongst them," said Annunziata. "Many of them have been in the conference for much longer than I have and it’s very nice that they selected me for this award.”
The primary overseer of athletic training for all 16 of Mount Ida College’s 16 varsity sports, Annunziata has successfully transitioned the athletic training health records to an online format in the past year, which is a first for the Mount Ida athletic department. She continues to find new ways to improve athletic training services, overseeing two assistants and several clinical students each semester. Annunziata also does a tremendous job working with families and insurance providers to help get medical bills paid in a timely manner.
Annunziata is a licensed and certified Athletic Trainer by the Board of Certification and a member of the National Athletic Trainer's Association. She is also First Aid and CPR certified by the American Heart Association and certified as a National Academy of Sports Medicine Performance Enhancement Specialist.
Prior to joining the Mount Ida College staff, Annunziata was the primary Athletic Trainer for golf, volleyball, cross-country, basketball, baseball, and softball in the University of Pennsylvania-Fayette athletic department in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
After earning her Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training in 2009 from Merrimack College in North where she was also a student athletic trainer, Annunziata went on to graduate from California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania in May 2011 with a Master's of Science in Athletic Training.
“I am very excited that Katy has been recognized by the GNAC with this award,” said Director of Athletics Matt Burke. “Katy and our entire sports medicine staff provide amazing service to our student-athletes and this award is well-deserved.”
Annunziata also thanked her team, especially full-time assistants Noelle Boran and Chris Ikier, and talked about how she felt as though the award was a testament to the reputation of quality that Mount Ida has developed.
“It’s nice to feel like we’re making a difference to not only the student-athletes here, but the opponents who have positive experiences when they come to compete against Mount Ida,” said Annunziata. “I think they take that experience back to their schools and this award is a sign that we are building a name in the conference as a top of the line athletic department.”