The athletes of Allegheny College have a system in place to promote their athletic success, beginning with coaches that oversee their day-to-day improvement. To ensure that this improvement continues, the college hired Director of Sports Medicine Robin Scheimer and Assistant Athletic Trainer Hannah Jasienski.

Named director of sports medicine in August of 2017, Scheimer’s love of athletics began early because of the benefits sports provides.

“I knew I loved being around that athletic realm, I loved what it promoted for kids,” Scheimer said.

This early spark led to an education that prepared her for her career today. Scheimer planned initially to enter physical therapy and attended the University of Pittsburgh with this goal in mind, where she was required to complete an athletic training course and EMT certification through this program.

“When I was doing that, I really fell in love with the emergency medicine realm of it,” Scheimer said.

It was this love that led her to athletic training.

“I like that we are with the athlete for the entire gamut of the process,” she said, detailing the extensive ways in which trainers are able to support athletes.

Upon the completion of her bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Pitt, Scheimer went on to earn a Master of Science in athletic training from Ohio University and acted as the head athletic trainer at a high school while completing her graduate education.

After receiving her master’s, Robin began her career at Kenyon College, where she worked for four years before arriving at Allegheny, which shares an athletic conference with Kenyon and a Division III status that Scheimer deeply enjoys.

“I loved it,” Robin said. “I love that the kids who play sports at this level are really playing because they want to.”

Just as Scheimer’s interest in athletic training began early, Assistant Athletic Trainer Hannah Jasienski’s career path began with a shoulder injury from high school soccer.

“With that injury, I went through the loops of seeing orthopaedics, I was in and out of the physical therapy room, and I was working with my athletic trainer of my high school,” Jasienski said.

Inspired by these encounters, Jasienski also initially planned to become a physical therapist and entered Slippery Rock University with a double major in exercise science and athletic training before deciding to devote herself entirely to athletic training.

“I really just fell in love with athletic training, I liked being on the sidelines, seeing the injury, evaluating the injury, treating it, rehabilitating it and getting that athlete and seeing them return to play,” Jasienski said.

After graduating from Slippery Rock in December 2014, a final clinical rotation at Thiel College led Jasienski to the opportunity to replace an athletic trainer there. She said the position was a natural springboard for her career.

“It was a great fit, they thought because I had already known the students from working with them as a student myself, I knew the town, I was already living close by,” Jasienski said. 

Her move to Allegheny came from a connection. After hearing about prior Assistant Trainer Devon Skinner’s impending move, she decided to apply. She was officially hired in August 2017, bringing with Robin Scheimer a new presence to the Allegheny College athletic staff.

Talking about former Assistant Athletic Trainer Kahla Maguire, Kurtis Williams, ’19, said it is a necessary position to have. He said it is a presence from which Allegheny students benefit.

“I know that they know their stuff, so that if I ever need them, they’ll be able to do that same thing that Kahla did for me when she was here,” Williams said.

Cross country runner Allison Johnson, ’19, shared a similar confidence in the athletic training staff.

“They’re all really nice. They’re just a really awesome resource to have as an athlete,” Johnson said.