By Isabella Sansanelli
Sports Editor
This year, the Washington College Athletic Department welcomed a new Head Athletic trainer, Matthew An.
An graduated in 2011 with an undergraduate degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio while gaining experience working with their baseball, women’s tennis, field hockey, football, and women’s basketball teams. It was during this time as an undergraduate An said he discovered his true love, football.
His passion for football manifested itself greatly in his career and pushed him to eventually obtain his master’s degree at Murray State University where he assisted with both the baseball and football teams.
Shortly after, An was able to garner a career in which he worked predominantly with football as he transitioned to the inaugural football athletic trainer at IMG Academy. “I got to work with elite high school athletes, to the NFL Combine athletes, to the NFL athletes training during the off season,” An said, “It’s crazy to see them in the NFL now and playing in college still.”
An was also fortunate enough to work with a high level football program for a period of time as he serves as an athletic training intern for the Houston Texans for two summers. An experience he describes to be the “hallmark of his career.”
Immediately preceding his time at WC, An served as an assistant athletic trainer at Randolph-Macon College located in Ashland, Virginia. There, he worked closely with their football and lacrosse teams, as well as advising work-study employees of the college and serving as a clinical instructor for students pursuing an athletic training undergraduate degree.
When asked about his decision to become a part of the Washington College Athletic Community, An claimed, “I decided to come to WC because when I came to do my interview here it felt like it was home. Carrie, the previous head athletic trainer at WC, was there and helped me along the way (she still is). There was this real feeling of family here where it seemed like people genuinely cared about each other and their well-being. I also knew that WC had a reputation for their outstanding student athletes and definitely wanted to be a part of that.”
An said he looks forward to serving as a Head Athletic Trainer for the first time in his career. An will use his extensive background and history in the athletic training field as he leads his department and new legacy with this simple philosophy, “Provide efficient optimal healthcare to every student athlete to help maximize their intercollegiate experience. We will strive to ensure all student athletes attain their highest potential for safe and effective participation in their chosen sport by recognition, rehabilitation, education, and prevention.”