After beginning the athletic year without a head athletic trainer, Christopher Ikier officially took the position on Sept. 18.
Ikier has an immense athletic training background, all dating back to Lasell. Ikier is a 2016 graduate of the school’s athletic training program, also earning a master’s in rehabilitation science in 2019. His first professional positions were both in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), one as a trainer at the now-closed Mount Ida College, and another two year stint as a trainer at Regis College. He then pursued a three year career at Tufts University before accepting the position of head athletic trainer at Lasell, an opportunity Ikier was eager to take on.
“The second I saw the Lasell job posting, I knew I would be a good fit. Having a base knowledge of how Lasell works and having a network of resources already established at Lasell and the GNAC made the job even more intriguing,” Ikier said.
Graduate student Sheridan Blaha transferred from Regis at the conclusion of her first year. Her time at Regis coincided with Ikier’s career, and Blaha said even in his early career, Ikier provided a great support system.
“Chris was so important to me both as an athletic trainer and a person I always knew I could go to in a time of need. He really knew the struggles of being a student-athlete as he just graduated prior to working at Regis, which was extremely helpful. Freshman year was hard in a multitude of ways, and he always had advice to share and always tried his best to help,” Blaha said.
Blaha adds she was excited to hear Ikier had accepted a position at Lasell.
“Once hearing that Chris was coming back, I knew he would make an immediate impact. It is always nice to have someone familiar and that you trust come work with you. The athletic training room is a place where all athletes find themselves at one point in their career and it is so important that the trainers can understand what athletes are going through both physically, mentally, and emotionally. He understands all aspects of being a student-athlete because he is a graduate of Lasell lacrosse and then worked at Regis and Tufts,” Blaha said.
According to Ikier, the new position has come with several challenges, such as balancing administrative duties and creating time for himself to fulfill his responsibilities. Through these challenges, Ikier credits the athletics staff for providing a supportive environment to help him manage the new role.
Additional members of the athletic training staff include Mari McCarthy, Jaime Hanna, and Megan Stella, who Ikier said have played an important role within the sports medicine department.
“I have had nothing but positive experiences so far. Mari, Jaime, and Stella have been a pleasure to work with. I appreciate their hard work and efforts working short staffed this whole semester. The athletes are a blast to work with as well. They all have a drive to compete and get better, which makes my job more enjoyable,” said Ikier.
As he continues to adjust to the position, Ikier is optimistic for the future of himself and the athletics department.
“My main goal is to ensure a positive experience for all of our student-athletes. I want to make sure myself and the rest of the sports medicine staff is doing all we can to keep our student-athletes safe and healthy. Athletic trainers have a unique relationship with student-athletes and I believe that we can help improve their experiences at Lasell,” Ikier said.