Michigan State University’s club and intramural sports scene is massive—27 club teams, more than 25 intramural leagues and over 12,000 student participants.
All hold master’s degrees in Athletic Training and came to MSU specifically to support a diverse population of active students. As Bigelow explained:
“Working with these types of student athletes that just love what they do, helps drive what I do. I want to be helpful, I want to be supportive and help them through school, but also still be a healthy athlete.”
Even with broad coverage, demand continues to grow.
“Club ice hockey, club basketball, ROTC… marching band would love to work with us,” Newood said.
MSU stands apart in the Big Ten—not only offering multiple ATs for club sports but fully staffing support for its IM program. Newood credited institutional backing:
“If we pitch an idea and think it will benefit students or provide more care, they’ve been on board.”
The coverage requires constant triage, scheduling, and coordination, especially at peak times. Before expanding their staff to three, overlapping events meant prioritizing risk:
“We would classify it on the basis of risk and attend the most risky one,” Newood said.
Now, the trio handles everything from ankle sprains to concussions and referrals when needed. Dailey noted:
“We see almost anything and everything… and if we don’t know the answer, we do refer them to someone that… could be better or more suited than we are.”
A new $200 million, 293,000-square-foot recreational center opening next year will elevate care even further.
“The new rec center… is going to be phenomenal, not just for us, but all the students,” Newood said.
For the ATs, the reward is simple: witnessing growth and safe return to participation.
“Seeing them step back out onto the field, and just be healthy is just extremely rewarding,” Dailey said.
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