CU-LOCK HAVEN ATHLETIC TRAINING STUDENT COMPLETES EXTERNSHIP AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

After graduating from Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in May 2022 with a bachelor's degree in health science, Brianna Cook, of Boynton Beach, Florida, chose to stay at The Haven to complete a master's degree in athletic training.

Cook was a collegiate lacrosse player at Lock Haven for five years and dealt with many of her own sports injuries. These setbacks in her lacrosse career led her down the path of pursuing athletic training to help others get back to playing the sport they love in a timely fashion.

In the final semester of the master's program, each student completes a full-immersion externship experience at a location of their choice. Cook chose to go to the University of Maryland (UMD), an NCAA Division I school in College Park, Maryland, under the supervision of Anthony Benyarko, MS, L-ATC, CES.

Cook chose UMD men's lacrosse as her full immersion experience because she has been around the sport since she was an infant since her father was a player and coach. Her dad sparked her interest in men's lacrosse and made her appreciate the difference between the men's and women's side of the sport.

"The sport holds a special place in my heart and I love how I could be involved with a program that is as talented as the one at UMD," Cook said.

In addition to her primary sport assignment with the men's lacrosse team, she also had the opportunity to work with the UMD men's and women's track teams. She also worked at the Big10 Wrestling Championship matches in March.

"Growing up and never watching wrestling, I never thought I would see myself at this point in my career," Cook said. "After working with Lock Haven men's wrestling team, I learned to love the sport, so being able to work with some of the best wrestlers in the nation was a dream come true."

During Cook's time at UMD, she covered daily practice and home games. She was also able to obtain various clinical experiences at the Division I level, while working with a diverse population of new student-athletes. While at UMD, Cook learned to implement therapeutic modalities such as blood flow restriction, compex and biowave.

"My time at UMD under the supervision of my preceptor has allowed me to gain a newfound confidence when working with a new population of patients, which makes me excited to start my career as an athletic trainer," Cook said.