Sage Named Division II Chair of NATA ICSM

7/2/2025 11:26:00 AM

AMHERST, N.Y. - Jeff Sage, assistant athletics director for sports medicine and performance at Daemen University, was named as one of three chairpersons of the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine (ICSM). Sage, who will serve as the Division II chair, joins executive chair Kara Werner-Sanders of Indiana University South Bend and Division I chair Brian Vesci of Northwestern University to fulfill leadership positions which were announced during NATA Clinical Symposia and Athletic Training Expo in Orlando, Fla. last week.

The NATA ICSM is an athletic division-based committee composed of members at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) levels, as well as liaisons from external organizations. In this new role, Sage will lead the ICSM's Division II sub-committee which seeks to improve the day-to-day functionality of the division's athletic trainers through problem solving and general information sharing.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Division II athletic trainers at the national level," Sage said. "The work that the ICSM has accomplished has positively impacted athletic trainers and the athletes they care for across the collegiate space. It's an honor to serve the athletic training profession and I look forward to contributing and moving forward the ICSM initiatives that will continue to play positive roles in day-to-day lives of collegiate athletic trainers, especially at the Division II level."

Sage has been a fixture at Daemen University, serving in a variety of roles related to athletic training, strength and conditioning and general healthcare since joining the Division of Athletics in 1994. Over the past 30 years, he has played an integral role in the growth of Daemen's sports medicine and performance office, and has proved invaluable in developing relationships with primary and orthopedic care partners, such as UBMD and Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery.

No stranger to leadership positions in the athletic training field, Sage has previously served as a region representative, and later the overall president of the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association (NYSATA). His work with the NYSATA included lobbying the state government to pass licensure for athletic trainers, placing them on par with other licensed medical professionals. Sage's coordination and participation in those efforts, along with his work on Daemen's Emergency Response Team, which helped the university successfully navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, led to his selection as one of 25 recipients of the Excellence in Health Care Award given by Buffalo Business First in 2024.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on X, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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