Brant Berkstresser named Associate AD for Sports Medicine

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STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton Athletics has named Brant Berkstresser the next Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine.

Berkstresser comes to Tarleton from Harvard University, where he has overseen the sports medicine department for over 1,100 Ivy League student-athletes since 2008 as the Associate Director of Athletics for Student-Athlete Health and Performance. He has over 30 years of experience in athletic training and collegiate athletics.

“I’m honored and excited to join the Tarleton Athletic Department,” said Berkstresser. “It’s an exciting time for Tarleton State University as we continue our advancement within NCAA Division I. I’d like to thank Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Lonn Reisman for his trust and faith in me to lead and advance our sports medicine department.”

During his time at Harvard, he was granted the Impact Leadership Award in 2010 and 2011 which recognizes high achieving employees who consistently exhibit superior performance with exceptional effectiveness. Most recently he was a 2013 Dean’s Distinction Award Winner, which recognizes a small number of FAS staff members for their outstanding citizenship and exceptional contributions in support of Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ (FAS) teaching and research mission.

Berkstresser has served on numerous collegiate health committees during his career, most recently the Ivy League Review of Autonomy Legislation and the Ivy League Ad Hoc Committee on Concussions.

“We are thrilled to add Brant (Berkstresser) to our athletic department,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lonn Reisman. “Brant brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise in the field of sports medicine. He is highly respected in the sports medicine field and will, no doubt, elevate our sports medicine program to another level.

“I would like to thank Dr. Steve Simpson for his three decades of service to our athletic department,” Reisman continued. “Our sports medicine department has been outstanding in every conference we’ve been a part of, and I have no doubt that Brant will only enhance the commitment to caring for our student-athletes.”

At the national level, Berkstresser currently serves as the Executive Chair of the National Athletic Trainer’s Association Intercollegiate Council on Sports Medicine. He also serves on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Concussion Safety Protocol Committee. Previous NCAA committees, include the NCAA Bylaw 17 Working Group, Health and Safety Cross Functional Team, NCAA Drug Testing Sub-Committee and is a former Chair for the NCAA Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport Committee.

Berkstresser has led national and international presentations for numerous health and safety professional organizations. He is a co-author of journal articles related to cardiology, concussion, and orthopedic injury management.

Prior to Harvard University, Berkstresser was the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine at Georgia Southern University from 2003-2008, the University of Maryland from 1997-2003 and Kansas State University from 1993-1997. He began his career with the Wildcats where he spent four years as an assistant athletic trainer for men’s basketball and assisting with football before moving on to Maryland, Georgia Southern, and Harvard at the Assistant AD level, and Head Football Athletic Trainer.

A native of State College, Pennsylvania, he earned a bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis in athletic training from West Virginia University in 1991. During his senior year at WVU, he completed an internship with the New York Jets Football Club in 1990. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in kinesiology from Kansas State in 1993.

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