2020 NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year

NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year

The NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year is awarded to an athletic trainer who best exemplifies the overall purpose of leading their institution, athletic department, and student-athletes through athletic training. 

Created in the spring of 2020, the NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year is part of the NJCAA Annual Awards that honor three distinct categories across the association - Athletic Director of the Year, Sports Information Director of the Year, and Athletic Trainer of the Year. These awards represent individuals who strive to create the optimal student-athlete experience on their campus while also performing duties that go far beyond the institutional level. 

Kristin Mayson – Indian Hills Community College (IA) | Head Athletic Trainer

On the final day of National Athletic Training Month, the NJCAA is proud to announce Kristin Mayson of Indian Hills Community College as the first-ever NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year.  In her fourth year at Indian Hills, Mayson oversees the athletic training needs of over 300 student-athletes on 13 different teams while supervising two assistant athletic trainers.

"I am incredibly grateful the awards committee has named Kristin the first-ever NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year," expressed Indian Hills Athletic Director Brett Monaghan.  "Her hard work and dedication to the Indian Hills Athletic Department, Indian Hills Community College, the Iowa Community College Athletic Association and the National Junior College Athletic Association always makes me extremely proud to have her as part of our team.  Kristin is an outstanding representation of any athletic professional at all levels, and we are very lucky to have her at IHCC."

Mayson is responsible for the athletic training care of student-athletes during more than 250 events throughout the course of the year, with more than 100 of those taking place on the Indian Hills campuses in Ottumwa and Centerville.  While leading the Indian Hills athletic training department, Mayson has implemented a number of new initiatives that have improved the overall student-athlete experience.  Among these initiatives is the implementation and oversight of the athletic department's drug testing policy.  Mayson oversees all documentation of drug testing while using the testing program as an opportunity to educate student-athletes on the harms of abusing street drugs as well as performance-enhancing substances.

Striving to stay up-to-date within the evolving athletic training field, Mayson partnered with Brain Check, a concussion testing protocol service, to develop and implement a return-to-play protocol for student-athletes following a concussion injury.  In addition to return-to-play, Mayson is working with faculty members on campus to implement a return-to-learn protocol.  This initiative will aid student-athletes in their return to the classroom after a concussion, specifically in cases where utilizing a computer is necessary but may be harmful to the student-athletes recovery.  

It is not just the physical well-being of Indian Hills' student-athletes that Mayson makes a priority.  In collaboration with college administrators, Mayson was instrumental in the addition of a full-time mental health counselor to the Indian Hills staff, working with not just student-athletes, but the entire student body.

Aside from her duties in the Athletic Department, Mayson also serves as the Program Director of Indian Hills' Sports Medicine Program within the Arts & Sciences Department.  In this role, Mayson teaches a full course load, educating students who are interested in pursuing a career in the sports medicine field. 

Prior to coming to Indian Hills, Mayson worked at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center and the Ottumwa School District.  Mayson earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and obtained a master's of science degree in education from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri.  Mayson resides in Ottumwa with her husband Rich and their three young daughters.

For all 2020 NJCAA Honors Award Winners, visit: 2020 NJCAA Honors Award Winners Home

For all NJCAA Honors, please visit: NJCAA Honors Home