Apr 7, 2025UTEP sports medicine team plays crucial role in program
You can’t underestimate the importance of a sports medicine team to an athletic program’s success. Just ask the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) athletics department.
Director of Sports Medicine Andrew Ure has served in the role for three years and has been at UTEP for six years. Ure also works as the primary athletic trainer for the men’s basketball team. Ure said that the department handles every aspect of an athlete’s health.
In addition to providing physical care, the mental health issues that athletes tackle are handled by the sports medicine team.
A recent article from The Prospector Daily detailed the impact of UTEP’s Sports Medicine Department. Below is an excerpt from The Daily Prospector article.
“We have a volunteer sports psychologist if it has to do with performance,” said Ure. “If it’s an acute case like a crisis, we are the crisis managers, so, we’re the ones that are tracking a situation and then taking them directly to the people that can help them.”
To spot trends and prevent injuries before they happen and identify times of the year when athletes are likely to become ill, the team takes part in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program.
Despite efforts to prevent injuries, some are expected, especially in high-contact sports like football with large rosters.
According to Ure, student athletic trainers help the sports medicine team meet the needs of UTEP’s 17 NCAA sports teams.
“They’re crucial to what we do,” said Ure. “Without them, I don’t think we would run very smoothly.”
For junior Natalie Chong and senior Alejandra Valdo, both majoring in kinesiology, the program serves as a way to get experience in sports medicine.
Student trainers work closely with the certified athletic trainers and get the opportunity to practice treating different kinds of injuries throughout the different sports as they switch yearly. Chong is currently working with the men’s basketball team while Valdo is working with football.
The work of the student trainers varies depending on sport and how long and comfortable they are providing treatment. Ure shared that more experienced student trainers may get the chance to write and perform the rehab treatment under the supervision of the certified trainers.
To read the full story from The Prospector Daily about the UTEP sports medicine team, click here.
