The university offers 12 Division I sports programs with over 200 student-athletes. These athletes depend on their coaches, teammates and the sports medicine department to ensure full athletic potential.

Benjamin Stewart, director of sports medicine, believes the people in the sports medicine department at the university make it unique.

“We have a good mixture of athletic trainers from different parts of the country that have done and seen many different things,” shared Stewart. “We have staff from here in Louisiana and around the south. We also have staff from up north like Pennsylvania. Some staff went to bigger Division I schools while others went to smaller universities for their education. Also, our staff has a multitude of past experiences in different setting like high schools, small colleges with little to no budget and large universities with an unlimited budget.”

Stewart explained why he chose to enter the sports medicine field and to work at the university.

“Helping others while being involved in athletics is a perfect world for me,” shared Stewart. “I am naturally a competitive person that has always enjoyed playing sports. I have also always enjoyed being able to help those in need. Athletic training allows me to do this every day where I never feel like I go to work. I truly enjoy every day and the things that it brings.”

Stewart was drawn to Hammond because of proximity to his hometown, Mississippi.

“Hammond also drew me in because I love towns that are not too big and not too small,” said Stewart. “Hammond has everything you would need right outside your door. “

Stewart explained that he enjoys the relationships built with the staff.

“Everyone works very well together from top to bottom,” explained Stewart. “The athletic administration really understand what we do as a profession, and it makes our job so much easier. We really have no bad people in our department. We pick up the slack for each other when needed and all make each other that much better.”

Ebony Glascock, a graduate student in the health and kinesiology program, discussed what the sports medicine department offers.

“Even with us being assigned to individual sports, we all work together and help each other when needed to provide the best care for our athletes,” explained Glascock.

Glascock described what brought her to the sports medicine field at the university.

“I chose the sports medicine field because of my interest in anatomy and my love for sports,” stated Glascock. “I am from Georgia and was looking to find a graduate assistant position outside of the state. I was told about the position at SLU and thought it would be a great fit after looking into the program. The staff seemed very close-knit.”

The university’s sports medicine department is located in the east wing of the Kinesiology annex, and the sports medicine crew is on the sideline of sporting event.