Rebekah Reichard arrived at Valparaiso prior to the 2011-2012 academic year as an Assistant Athletic Trainer in the Sports Medicine department. Her main responsibilities include providing injury prevention, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation services for the women’s basketball team. She also assists with the women’s softball and soccer teams throughout the year.

Reichard came to Valpo after working at the University of Kentucky for two years while completing her Master of Science degree in Athletic Training. She worked primarily with the women’s softball program. During her time at UK, Reichard also conducted research on softball pitchers to quantify season-long pitch volume and associated upper extremity soreness. She remains especially interested in the long-term effects repetitive sport motion has on the upper extremity.

Reichard completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training at Indiana Wesleyan University in 2009. During her academic tenure she worked primarily with women’s basketball, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s softball. She also assisted with Taylor University spring football and local high school football teams. While at IWU, Reichard’s interest in original research began when she conducted a pilot study that examined athletes’ trust in their athletic trainers.