WICHITA, Kan. - Dan O'Connell of Kansas Wesleyan University has been named Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Athletic Trainer of the Year, the conference office announced Monday. O'Connell will be formally recognized in a virtual format later in the summer.
"I am very honored to receive this award," O'Connell said. "In a year where all athletic trainers played an important role, I am honored to be voted, by my peers, to be KCAC Athletic Trainer of the Year."
"Kansas Wesleyan would not have been as successful as it was in 2020-21 without Dan O'Connell," Steve Wilson, director of athletics at Kansas Wesleyan, said. "KWU played 93 percent of its scheduled games, and that doesn't happen without structure. So much of that structure came from Dan's expertise and guidance. His leadership was incredibly important, but it went past athletics. He was a critical resource for the entire campus, and he managed so many aspects of the pandemic with professionalism, all while continuing to exceed expectations treating our student-athletes. Dan, thank you for all you do, and congratulations. You are so deserving!"
"Passion. Fervor. Commitment. Three words that describe the focus Dan has for KWU Athletics! Dan always brings his highest energy to the field, court or clinic," Raeann Bromert, chair of the conference's athletic training group and head athletic trainer at the University of Saint Mary, said.
O'Connell served as a medical resource not only for KWU Athletics, but also for the institution, as any student feeling ill during the COVID-19 pandemic was to contact Dan. He was part of KWU's five-person COVID-19 task force, and was also KWU's primary contact tracer. He did all of this along with his work with KWU athletes, keeping them on the field.
O'Connell is also a key part of managing KWU's relationship with Salina Regional Health Center, a relationship that makes KWU stand apart from other institutions, with an official, full-facet healthcare
Previous KCAC Athletic Trainer of the Year Winners
2019-20: Katie Pierce, University of Saint Mary
2018-19: Lock Schnelle, Southwestern College
2017-18: Raeann Bromert, University of Saint Mary
2016-17: Jennifer Raybern, Ottawa University
2015-16: Pete Manely, Sterling College
2014-15: Robin Johnson, Friends University
