Rio Grande's Tara Gerlach named RSC Athletic Trainer of the Year
FLORENCE, Ky. -- University of Rio Grande athletic trainer Tara Gerlach has been selected as the 2016-17 River States Conference Athletic Trainer of the Year. Gerlach, who has been at Rio Grande since 2000, received the award after a vote of the conference's athletic directors and her peer athletic trainers in the RSC.
Gerlach's service to the conference includes her position as chair of the RSC Athletic Trainer's commitee. This past year, that committee worked to standardize athletic-trainer practices throughout the conference. Gerlach also served as the trainer on site at the conference's baseball championship tournament, which was conducted at a neutral site.
She is the first recipient of the RSC Athletic Trainer of the Year, a new award this year. Gerlach is the conference's nominee for the NAIA Athletic Trainer of the Year award.
Gerlach is a 1996 graduate of Marietta College with a degree in Sports Medicine. While at Marietta, she played one season on the softball team.
Gerlach graduated from Marshall University in 1998 with a Master's Degree in Health & Physical Education. While at Marshall, she served as athletic trainer at Huntington High School in Huntington, W.Va.
She was previously employed in Parkersburg, W.Va. and, while there, she served as athletic trainer at both Parkersburg South High School and Warren High School in Vincent, OH. She is a native of Middleport, Ohio.