WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary associate athletic trainer Alessa Lennon was selected as the 2019 Virginia College and University Athletic Trainer of the Year. She was honored as Virginia Athletic Trainers' Association (VATA) annual meetings in January.

"William & Mary Athletics and our High Performance Department are thrilled for Alessa, and we appreciate her leadership and dedication to our student-athletes," Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete High Performance Erik Korem, PhD, said.

The award honors the athletic trainer who works in a collegiate or university setting and is considered by their peers to be an invaluable member of the athletic training community in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Lennon, who joined W&M's Sports Medicine staff in fall 2015, recently completed her fourth season working with the William & Mary Football program as an athletic trainer. Also during her time in Williamsburg, she has worked with the Tribe track and field programs and the W&M women's tennis program. Since coming to W&M, she has been involved in the care and coordination of long-term injuries, movement efficiency testing and injury prevention programs, as well as the continuing education provider for the Tribe Sports Medicine staff.

Prior to her arrival at W&M, Lennon earned her Post Professional Master's Degree in Athletic Training from UNC-Chapel Hill. While at UNC, she worked with the Tar Heels' football and fencing programs and completed a master's thesis on the measurement of head impact biomechanics.