Athletics Feature: Kaitlyn Maloney

When Kaitlyn Maloney entered her clinical rounds in the final year of her undergraduate degree in athletic training, she put in a request. Anything, but football.

"I went to Mary (Nadelen, the clinical supervisor) and I said, 'I don't care where I go, I just don't want football,'" Maloney said. "I will take anything, I'll go to the high school nobody wants to go to, I just don't want football.' I just didn't have a great experience with it."

Nadelen didn't listen. The football team was impressed with Maloney's work during her earlier clinicals and specifically requested her. She was put to work with the football team, over seven years and two schools later, Maloney is still serving as a football athletic trainer. She is one of two recently hired athletic trainers at UNI, joining Cari Zubke, the new women's basketball trainer. Maloney replaces Travis Stueve who stepped away from Athletic training to take a job with John Deer.

Maloney comes to UNI from Southern Illinois where she has been the head football trainer for the last four years. She also earned her Masters' Degree from SIU while serving as a graduate assistant. She earned her undergraduate degree from Towson University in Maryland.

Athletic trainers are a key component to any successful team. Being the person ultimately responsible for the health of 105 football student-athletes isn't easy, but Maloney is up to the task.

"There are extra things that we can do behind the scenes that keeps them going and can get them through an extra practice, another game or can even affect the outcome of a game," she said.

Major injuries happen every week in football. According to the NCAA statistics for football, 8.1 per 1,000 athletes suffer from some type of injury. While playing on a turf field, a lot of groin strains can also be common. When more contact and games start to happen, that's when ACL and shoulder injuries tend to occur.

Maloney says it is their job to do everything they can to prevent those injuries from happening. Here at UNI, and specifically with Maloney, the Athletic Trainers focus preventive measures to ensure the health and safety of athletes and getting injured athletes back in game shape.

"Just because they're injured, doesn't mean they're out," she said."We're always doing something to get them back on the field. It's almost as if they are doing more work with us, when injured, off the field than on the field."

In addition to the football players regular schedule of lifting and practice, Maloney holds a 30 minute session of foam rolling and stretching every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She believes that it can help a lot of lower body issues, especially soft tissue injuries by doing small maintenance work.

Other than focusing on preventative work in order to keep more guys out of rehabbing injuries, Maloney has a goal of setting up yoga during the season for another activity to help keep the players muscles loose and fresh.

Maloney says although she has only been a part of the program here for a few weeks, she is excited to learn more about UNI, build relationships with the students and players and help build with the Athletic Training Program.

"I've enjoyed my short time that I've been here. I like to teach, learn and absorb from other people, and I've already learned quite a bit," she said.

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Athletics Feature: Kaitlyn Maloney

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Athletics Feature: Kaitlyn Maloney

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