Sports Medicine 6/9/2017 11:01:00 AM Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Sports Medicine Director Elected To Leadership Role In NYSATA

AMHERST, N.Y. - Jeff Sage, Director of Sports Medicine at Daemen College, will serve as President-Elect of the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association (NYSATA) following a special election conducted recently by the organization. Sage, who has been a member of the organization for more than 20 years, replaces Thomas Koesterer, the former Athletic Training Program Director at the State University of New York at Cortland, who relinquished his role as President-Elect after accepting new employment outside the state. The leadership position will require a five-year commitment from Sage: one year as President-Elect, followed by two years as President, and two additional years serving as Past President.

A longtime member of the Daemen Athletic Department, Sage first came to the college in 1995 through an affiliation with Catholic Health AthletiCare. He went on to become Daemen's first Head Athletic Trainer in 1997, and continued his employment through the Catholic Health AthletiCare affiliation until becoming a full-time member of the Daemen Athletics staff in 2005. During the 2015-16 academic year, Sage was promoted to his current position, Director of Sports Medicine. In this role, Sage is responsible for the administrative oversight of Daemen's sports medicine office which provides injury prevention, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation services to student-athletes. In addition, Sage maintains his responsibilities as an athletic trainer and he sits on the Athletic Department's senior leadership team.

Sage has also been a leader in establishing Daemen's Athletic Training major, serving as Clinical Assistant Professor and the Clinical Coordinator for the program over the last several years.

His election to eventually serve as the NYSATA President comes after spending three years as the organization's Region 7 Representative, covering Orleans, Cattaraugus, Genesee, Wyoming, Erie, Niagara, Allegany and Chautauqua Counties from 2014-17. The NYSATA is charged with advocating, encouraging and improving the athletic training profession in the state.

"I am very honored and humbled to have been elected by the NYSATA membership to serve as their President-Elect," Sage said. "I have enjoyed serving as the Western New York regional representative and am looking forward to this greater role in promoting the athletic training (AT) profession and continuing the mission of NYSATA. Daemen has been very supportive in this effort and I'd like to thank Director of Athletics Bridget Niland for encouraging me to pursue this opportunity. I plan to pay it forward by exposing the future of the AT profession, our AT students here at Daemen, to the benefits of being engaged in professional service and hope to inspire them to become active members of the NYSATA, NATA [National Athletic Trainers' Association] or any of the other AT associations, alliances, and affiliates as a young professional."

According to Sage, a key issue that he will be helping the NYSATA pursue is advancing the discussion regarding legislation for the proper licensure of practicing athletic trainers in the state.

"Jeff Sage has stepped forward from a region representative position and participated with state association business for the past three years. His leadership in region seven has helped to solidify our efforts for state licensure with a more cohesive and involved membership," said Bob O'Malley, NYSATA President and Coordinator of Sports Medicine Outreach at Excelsior Orthopedics in Amherst. "Personally, I have known Jeff since 2006 and I have acted as a Daemen Athletic Training Preceptor for the past six years. At the first CAATE [Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education] program review, I commented that a significant reason for the Athletic Training program's initial success was due to the hard work of the program leaders including Jeff. He is dedicated and focused to the success of our professional goals. The NYSATA executive council is excited to have Jeff Sage as its President-Elect."

A native of Wyoming, N.Y. and now residing in Akron, Sage holds a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education and Athletic Training from the State University of New York at Brockport. He went on to earn a Master's Degree from California University of Pennsylvania in 2007. Sage was recently honored as the 2017 recipient of the Brett Ferber Unsung Hero Award, an honor named for the former Daemen student and men's basketball team manager which is awarded annually to the institutional staff member of student who goes above and beyond in their dedication and support of Daemen Athletics.

Sage will assume the role of NYSATA President at the completion of O'Malley's term in June of 2018.

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