Vonnie Hitchcock Named Regional Nominee for The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award

Vonnie Hitchcock, M.Ed., A.T.C., L.A.T., certified athletic trainer with Houston Healthcare Hospital and outreach athletic trainer for Northside High School, has been named the Regional Nominee for The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. As the Regional Nominee, Hitchcock will advance on to join other Regional Nominees from across the nation to be considered for the title of The Newell Award National Athletic Trainer of the Year, which will be announced soon.

In partnership with local leading orthopaedic practices, such as Middle Georgia Orthopaedics in Warner Robins and Perry, The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award recognizes athletic trainers for the service and leadership they provide to local athletic communities. Based on examples of service, leadership and shared experiences from community members, nominees for The Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award are determined regionally. Over 300 exceptional shared experiences from community members were received in support of Hitchcock’s regional nomination for the National Award. 

“The outpouring of support from community members on Ms. Hitchcock’s behalf has been tremendous and certainly well-deserved,” says Dr. K. Scott Malone, fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist at Middle Georgia Orthopaedics. “We feel honored to acknowledge her efforts by partnering with The Newell Award to recognize the region’s top athletic trainers for the service and leadership they display while treating our community’s athletes.”

Hitchcock, a longtime certified local athletic trainer for the region currently employed by Houston Healthcare Hospital and outreach athletic trainer for Northside High School, received her Bachelor of Science degree in human movement studies from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, where she went on to earn her Master of Education degree in exercise physiology. She has been extremely involved in the sports medicine community for over 25 years, caring for injured athletes and educating future athletic trainers through her work.

To learn more about The Newell Award, visit TheNewellAward.com/MGO.