By Dave McCulley, Associate Athletic Director of Media Relations
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Mid-South Conference Officials announced Friday that Bethel’s Jason Essary has earned the “Above and Beyond” Award for Outstanding Service in Athletic Training.
Essary earns the award for the second time in his career. He also received the award in 2020-21.
“It is an honor just to be nominated for an award like this but I feel like all Athletic Trainers deserve this award every year,” Eassary said. “As Athletic Trainers we work tireless hours, deal with 17-24 year old student-athletes that want the best treatment that money can buy and get little recognition.”
The MSC Athletic Trainer of the Year is voted on by the Medical Aspects committee which is comprised of the head athletic trainers from each full-time member of the conference. Individuals are not allowed to vote for themselves.
Essary will represent the Mid-South Conference in the selection of the NAIA Athletic Trainer of the Year. The national award will be announced in early fall by the NAIA.
“To receive this award from my peers from across the conference comes as a shock because I don’t know that I did anything more or different than any of them have done,” Essary added. “I appreciate the recognition and will continue to strive to perform my duties as an Athletic Trainer, in the MidSouth Conference, in a manner that everyone will be pleased to send their student-athletes to Bethel University knowing that they will be taken care of as if they were at their own institution.”