TU, 'Berg athletic trainers stay busy

Athletic trainers are the backbone of most programs. Whether in high school, collegiate, or professional sports, keeping an athlete from being injured or nursing them back to health is a top-notch priority. Lucas Phillips at Tiffin University and Matallyn Overmyer at Heidelberg are among those tasked with those duties and both have stepped up as two of the best. "Athletic training is kind of the behind-the-scenes of sports," Phillips, a Carey High School graduate said. "We're there for injury prevention, hydration, rehab, post-injury, and post-surgery. We do a little bit of everything – a jack of all trades." Overmyer is a 2017 graduate of Fremont Ross High School and is one of the athletic trainers at Heidelberg. She graduated from the 'Berg in 2021 with her bachelor of science degree with a double major in athletic training and health and human performance with a concentration in exercise science. "I originally thought I wanted to study physical therapy because of the rehabilitation I had to endure as an athlete myself and use athletic training as a gateway into the profession," Overmyer said. "But once I understood what athletic training was, I fell in love." Both Phillips and Overmyer said their weeks are rarely ever the same. Some days will have games and some will just have practices. Sometimes, they have to travel with a team when the competition is on the road. "My typical week will have treatments throughout the morning," Phillips said. "Rehabs will be scheduled anywhere from 8 a.m. until noon. After lunch, I'm usually heading out to the practice field to get the water out there and get everything ready to go. I come back and start taping the team. After they show up, I'm out watching practice and observing if I've got some people injured or not a full go. If they can do some things, I'll take them on the side and work with them." Overmyer played basketball for Heidelberg while she was in school. Weeks can vary from wild and crazy to relatively quiet to wacky and out of control. "My days and weeks are never the same," Overmyer said. "We could work six days a week or never have an off day for weeks. Some days we work four hours and others – more often than not – work 10-12. Our day typically is providing clinic coverage including rehabilitation and therapeutic treatment sessions, injury evaluations, and then we get ready for practice coverage and then stay for roughly 30 minutes after to make sure our patients don't need anything. Athletic trainers wear a lot of hats and a big one we focus on is making sure our patients are safe and healthy by being available to them." Of course, one of the top priorities for athletic trainers is the safety of the athletes. Phillips has worked with the football, cross country, track and field, swimming and diving, women's basketball, stunt/cheer, and women's lacrosse teams. He currently works a lot with both tennis teams as well as the women's soccer team. "Communication is the essential part there," TU women's soccer coach Michael Cracas said. "I think the biggest thing when I got hired here two years ago and now going into my third year, I was very upfront with Lucas. I told him it was his domain. He knows what he's doing. I'm going to refer to him. I think with us it is an open line of communication. We always talk about not waiting until it is serious. It's been sooner rather than later." Kaelynn Harkness, 2018 Norwalk graduate, is a part of the women's soccer team. She has a unique relationship with Phillips, going through injuries, recovery, and eventually triumph while playing for the Dragons. "I've always been around Lucas because I'm injury-prone," Harkness said. "I'm always injured so I'm always in there. The more I went, the stronger our relationship got. I felt really comfortable around him and it's good to know he's always going to be there for me to protect me from an injury. He became like a second dad to me." Phillips said his love of athletic training really birthed at a young age and when he realized he didn't want a job where he had to sit at a desk for eight hours a day, the adventure of being in the training room, practice, and games really got him. "Sports were always a big thing for me going through high school," Phillips said. "I wasn't really sure of a career path. I hadn't thought that far ahead. My junior year of high school, I had a pretty bad ankle injury. It was a fracture and dislocation and I went through some surgeries. Coming back, I was able to work with the athletic trainers at Carey High School where I went. It exposed me to that setting. I realized it was something I thought I could enjoy a lot." The ups and downs – like any job – are still there as an athletic trainer. It has its good days. It has its bad days. "My favorite part of athletic training is getting to create relationships with my patients and coaches here at Heidelberg. When they start visiting randomly or bringing you your favorite snack, you know you're doing it right," Overmyer said. "I think the toughest part of athletic training for me is the time commitment it takes to do the job as well as seeing some of the injuries you do and how it affects the patient. You have to be pretty good at time management. Going back to the hats we wear, sometimes it's more than just fixing a physical injury a patient has suffered, the mental side of an injury is just as important." Phillips said much the same. He has personally seen the struggles Harkness has experienced, but when she returned from an injury to score her first goal since a surgery, it was euphoria. "The toughest part is to see that athlete go through that injury and know the emotions they're going through," Phillips said. "Their season could be over. They could be out for the next 6-12 months. The rewarding part is helping them through that process and seeing them get back on the field. It's seeing them hitting those rehab milestones throughout the stages like going from crutches to walking to lifting weights again and jogging and running and back on the field and being functional again." Phillips is part of a staff of nine that covers all of the sports at Tiffin University. "We all pretty much have our own sports that we focus on. We work together as a family as well," he said. "If somebody needs to be gone for a weekend for a wedding or a life event, we're all going to step in and help each other out. Working together is the only way to be successful in life. I've had experience with a lot of different sports since I've been here. The past four years have been mostly focused on soccer, lacrosse, and tennis. When I'm in soccer season, they're my primary focus. I'm on call and available and doing treatments for the other sports. If they need me, I can leave soccer practice and go help them really quick if they need something." Harkness battled injuries in high school at Norwalk, but one athletic trainer there typically was available for a large Division I school. Being at TU has allowed her to build a bond with a trainer that can get her through some pretty trying times. "I did have injuries in high school and had an athletic trainer, but it was more for the whole school," Harkness said. "It wasn't much one-on-one contact. I was having to have to go to the hospital to get treatment maybe twice a week. In college, I'm able to see Lucas twice a day if I really need to. It's more hands-on. It's always something special when it's just for me and my journey." Phillips lives in Carey with his wife and two daughters. Being able to bring his daughters to the game has been a plus. He was even able to take one on a road trip to a contest because there was no school. That bonding sounds familiar when he talks about the Dragons athletes. "People ask me if I have kids," Phillips said. "I'll say yes, I have 75 daughters. I treat these players like they're my own children. I want to give them the best care possible because if my daughters go on to play college athletics, I want them to be treated that way and to have that top-quality care."