Shenandoah University’s Division of Athletic Training Shines At VATA Annual Meeting

Shenandoah University’s Division of Athletic Training continued its run of excellence at the 2026 Virginia Athletic Trainers’ Association (VATA) Annual Meeting on Jan. 2-4, at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Shenandoah’s student quiz bowl team, composed this year of Makenna Thrush, Trilby Kite, Aesia Garban and Kristen Meinberg (alternate), won the VATA Quiz Bowl for the fourth straight year. The quiz bowl is a competition similar to “Jeopardy” that features collegiate athletic training programs throughout the state. The Hornets beat out the University of Virginia (first runner-up) and James Madison University (second runner-up) for the title and retained the VATA Quiz Bowl’s traveling trophy, which has been in Shenandoah’s possession since 2023.

As the winner of the VATA competition, Shenandoah qualifies for the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers’ Association Quiz Bowl, which takes place during the MAATA Annual Meeting from May 1-3, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Hornets have won the last two MAATA Quiz Bowl competitions and represented District Three – which includes Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina – at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) competition in 2024 and 2025.

Shenandoah also had five students and two faculty members present their research through the NATA Research & Education Foundation Free Communications Program during the VATA Annual Meeting. Students who presented their research posters included Garban (“‘Hop’timizing Performance: Incorporating Neurocognitive Tasks Decreases Performance on Functional Hop Tests: A Critically Appraised Topic”); Kite (“Vibration Meets Balance for Ankle Rehab: A Critically Appraised Topic”); Thrush (“Too Cool For Cushion: Is the Minimalist Debate Putting Runners at a Greater Injury Risk?”); Meinberg (“Battle-Ready Brains: The Effect of Caffeine on Cognitive Vigilance in Sleep Deprived Soldiers”); and Caitlyn Sweet (“Enhancing Rehabilitation Outcomes in Chronic Ankle Instability: The Role of Manual Therapy”).

Associate Professor of Athletic Training Kim Pritchard, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, and Assistant Professor of Athletic Training and Associate Director of Performing Arts Medicine Kelley Wiese, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, were each recognized for their oral presentations. Dr. Pritchard won the 2026 Free Communications Program Certified Professional Award for “Improving Entry-Level Athletic Training Student Confidence in Emergency Care: A Pilot Study,” and Dr. Wiese won the 2026 Free Communication Program Doctoral Student Award for “Physical and Mental Workload and Sleep in Collegiate Dancers Across an Academic Year.”