Game On!

Maddie Stewart, BS ’25, stole the ball at half court and was driving to the basket, in what would turn out to be a thrilling overtime home victory by the Suffolk University women’s basketball team over Endicott College.

Then she heard it: a soft but unmistakable “pop” in her right knee.

Stewart was only seven games into the 2023-24 season when she suffered a season-ending injury—for the second time in her collegiate career. Each time, she underwent surgery followed by months of physical therapy.

“All I could do was sit on the bench and support my teammates,” says Stewart, who tore her ACL as a junior, and the meniscus in her left knee during the second game of her freshman season. “Not being able to play—that was the hardest part.”

What cushioned the blow and helped get the Conway, New Hampshire, point guard back on the court was working closely with the staff of the Suffolk Athletic Training Department.

“They gave me the emotional support and mental encouragement I needed,” says Stewart, a biology major who enjoyed a healthy and productive senior season as a player and team captain. “They made me feel like everything was normal and that I was on the right track.”

State-of-the-art therapeutic care

Located on the second floor of the Ridgeway Building, the Athletic Training Department is a state-of-the-art sports medicine facility equipped to provide a full spectrum of therapeutic care for the more than 360 student-athletes on Suffolk’s 20 men’s and women’s Division III sports teams.

In addition, Suffolk is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sports Medicine Service, located just a few blocks away from the Ridgeway Building. At MGH, Suffolk student-athletes have access to the same world-class resources as members of Boston’s pro sports teams.

“Our main goal is keeping everyone safe and healthy while playing the sport they love,” says Sam O’Brien, Suffolk’s head athletic trainer and director of sports medicine. “The best part of our job is seeing the smile on the faces of student-athletes when they work through their injuries and get back to achieving success in their sport.”

O’Brien and staff athletic trainers Levi Roberts and Ashley Turner work tirelessly to ensure that Suffolk student-athletes are in tip-top shape. All three have master’s degrees in athletic training and, between them, a combined 20 years of experience in the field.

That care begins before the student-athletes ever step foot on the field, court, ice, or track, when the trainers conduct cardiology and concussing screenings at the start of each season. A trainer attends every Suffolk team practice and home game, and travels on the road with the men’s and women’s hockey squads, because they’re considered high-collision sports.

“We usually have Sunday off—on a good week,” says O’Brien with a smile.

Focusing on both physical and mental recovery

While their roles may not be visible to the average Rams fan, athletic trainers play a vital role in the success of Suffolk Athletics, and with little fanfare.

“We’re the ones behind the scenes working with student-athletes on a daily basis, doing everything from taping ankles to physical therapy after major surgery,” says O’Brien. They focus on both physical and mental recovery, he adds, helping student-athletes remain “positive while dealing with their injuries.”

One of those student-athletes is baseball player Cole Hilliard, BSBA ’25, who tore the meniscus in his left knee two years ago. Following surgery, he says, “I had to relearn how to walk.”

His road to recovery proceeded one step at a time under O’Brien’s guidance. “He was the No. 1 reason I was able to get back on the field and continue playing at a high level,” says Hilliard, a talented first baseman and sports management major from San Diego. “His encouragement and expertise throughout all the physical therapy helped my knee become better and stronger than prior to my injury.”

Hilliard was so impressed with O’Brien and the Athletic Training Department that in January 2024 he joined the program as an intern. His front row seat to all the action has given him an even greater appreciation of Suffolk’s athletic trainers. “They are so important to the Athletics Department and all student-athletes,” Hilliard says. “They work so hard to help us stay healthy and be the best version of ourselves.”