Valparaiso University Director of Sports Medicine Nate Twedt has announced two additions to his staff as Ken DeAngelis and Stephen Jones have been hired as Assistant Athletic Trainers.

DeAngelis will serve as the athletic trainer for the Valpo men’s basketball and men’s cross country programs in addition to cheerleading and the Crusaderettes, while Jones will do the same for the women’s basketball, women’s cross country and women’s bowling programs.

DeAngelis returns to his alma mater, where he earned his master of science degree in sports administration in May 2012 after spending two years as a graduate assistant athletic trainer. During his first stint at Valpo, DeAngelis was the athletic trainer for the Valpo baseball team while assisting Twedt with the football program.

After finishing his master’s degree, DeAngelis worked for Doherty Therapeutics/Community Care Network in Munster as an athletic trainer from 2012-2016. He assisted in the development and implementation of physical therapy rehabilitation programs at a physical therapy office and, starting in August 2013, provided full-time athletic training services for Purdue University Calumet student-athletes and sports camps.

Starting in July 2016, DeAngelis served as the head athletic trainer at Purdue University Northwest while continuing as part of the Community Care Network. He was part of the PNW athletic department during the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division-II, including designing and implementing all sports medicine procedures and policies.

Prior to his first stint at Valpo, DeAngelis was an athletic training intern at Eastern Illinois University (January-July 2010) after serving as an athletic training student intern at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in 2009 and an athletic training student at Central Michigan University from January 2007 to May 2009. He graduated from Central Michigan in December 2009 with a bachelor of science in athletic training and sports medicine.

DeAngelis is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association. He holds numerous athletic training certifications.

Jones joins Valpo’s staff after spending the last year as an assistant athletic trainer at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. He provided athletic training services to the NCAA Division I baseball program while assisting with Division-I FCS football coverage.

Prior to his time in Tennessee, Jones served as an assistant athletic trainer for men’s and women’s soccer, golf and baseball at the University of Indianapolis from February 2014 to June 2018. He ran a weekly orthopedic clinic with the team physician and oversaw the transition from paper-based medical records to an electronic-based system.

Jones was the interim head athletic trainer at Albion College in Albion, Mich. during the summer of 2013, part of his stint at Albion as an assistant athletic trainer that spanned from August 2012 to February 2014. He was one of three athletic trainers and provided daily treatments, evaluations and coverage of games and practices for 22 teams. His primary responsibilities were men’s and women’s soccer, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s track and field and baseball.

From August 2009 to June 2011, Jones was a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Western Michigan University, where he provided athletic training services for the Division-I women’s gymnastics and volleyball teams. He covered all practices and home and away competitions. During the 2007 and 2008 summers, Jones interned with the Indianapolis Colts sports medicine department.

Jones holds numerous athletic training certifications and memberships. He received his master’s of science in exercise and sports medicine from Western Michigan in December 2011 after earning a bachelor of science in athletic training from the University of Indianapolis in May 2009.