LSU Shreveport’s Meghan Neffendorf Named NAIA Athletic Trainer of the Year

LSU Shreveport’s director of sports medicine, Meghan Neffendorf, has been named the NAIA Athletic Trainer of the Year, the organization announced Monday, capping off a record-breaking year for the Pilots.

Neffendorf oversees the health and safety of student-athletes across six sports and three club teams, distinguishing herself as a leader in the athletic training profession through both her conduct and her contributions to allied health care.

She made history as the first three-time Red River Athletic Conference Athletic Trainer of the Year, and was selected from a pool of award-winning Athletic Trainers representing 20 NAIA conferences.

“Meghan’s recognition as the NAIA National Athletic Trainer of the Year is a testament to her unwavering commitment to the health, performance, and resilience of our student-athletes,” said LSUS athletics director Lucas Morgan. “Behind every national championship team is an elite athletic trainer ensuring that each student-athlete is prepared, protected, and performing at their best. Her expertise and care have been the foundation of our success, and this honor is more than deserved.”

Beyond injury prevention and treatment, Neffendorf has improved operational processes like insurance protocols, reducing premium costs and expediting care for athletes.

In 2024, she was also named the athletics department’s Senior Woman Leader and serves as Board Secretary for the Athletic Trainers Association. Additionally, she helps organize LSUS-hosted baseball tournaments, including the NAIA Opening Round.

Her impact has paralleled the program’s athletic rise. LSUS baseball went a historic 59-0 to claim the university’s first-ever national championship, while all five other sanctioned sports ranked in the NAIA Top 25 during 2024-25.

A veteran of Southern Illinois, Tennessee Wesleyan, Campbellsville, and New Mexico, Neffendorf brings NCAA Division I and NAIA experience—and now another national accolade—to the surging LSUS athletics program. Read the full story here!