AT of the Year 2021-22

Given annually, the RRAC Athletic Trainer of the Year award recognizes an NATA-certified athletic trainer from the RRAC who has distinguished himself or herself as a model of the profession in personal conduct and professional allied health service to student-athletes. The selection is determined through a peer vote with all conference athletic trainers voting.

Last year's winner of the award and the current chair of RRAC trainers, Thomas Pribyl of the University of Houston-Victoria (Texas), recognized this year's recipients and explained why Neffendorf and Pascual rose to the top of the conference.

"Congratulations to both Meghan and Abi on being selected at Co-Athletic Trainers of the Year in the Red River Athletic Conference," Pribyl says. "Both are proven leaders in our conference, providing the best care to their athletes along with providing support and efficient communication to the visiting teams."

Neffendorf has worked directly with the LSUS men's and women's soccer programs during the last two years while assisting the school's Director of Sports Medicine, Lance Champagne, on baseball, men's basketball and women's basketball. When Champagne left in the spring for a new opportunity, Neffendorf replaced him as the lead for all LSUS sports including the baseball team's run to the final four of the NAIA World Series earlier this month.

"I'm so excited for Meghan to receive this recognition," says LSUS athletic director Lucas Morgan. "She is as good as it gets as a Sports Medicine professional. She cares about the student-athletes and does everything she can to take care of them. Congratulations Meghan!"

A native of Frohna, Mo., Neffendorf received her Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Missouri State University in 2011. In 2013, Neffendorf received her Master's of Science in Physical Education with a concentration in Sports Administration from the University of New Mexico. While serving as a graduate assistant at UNM, she was primarily assigned to the softball program and assisted with football.

Pascual is completing her third year at Xavier and her first in the RRAC after joining the school in Sept. 2019. She ascended to head athletic trainer in March of 2021, and she currently manages a staff of four. Pascual's primary sports are women's basketball, men's tennis and women's tennis, while managing care for student-athletes in Xavier's 14 sports.

"Abi is a very professional, and caring athletic trainer," says Xavier athletic director Nathan Cochran. "She is exceptionally skilled a working with our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. I am blessed to have her over our program because great athletic trainers are hard to find and even harder to keep."

Pascual earned her bachelor of science degree in kinesiology from Cal State-Fullerton in 2016, and she followed it with a master of athletic training degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2019.

While at Texas Tech, she kept the Red Raiders' men's track & field team moving toward their 2019 NCAA outdoor championship and a sixth place finish at the NCAA indoors. During her tenure at Texas Tech, Pascual also performed an internship with the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, during the summer of 2018.

Pascual, a native of Riverside, Calif., who grew up in Orange County, has donated approximately 16 feet of her hair to various organizations to make wigs for cancer patients.

RRAC Athletic Trainers of the Year