Sports Medicine
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The Certified Athletic Trainer provides a myriad of services to the department and the student-athlete. These include, but are not limited to, initial injury assessment and management, emergency injury/illness management, referral to appropriate professionals, interface with associated physicians and others, rehabilitation, counseling, administrative duties, including insurance coordination, supervision of practices and games, development and implementation of emergency plans, as well as student athletic trainer supervision. The athletic training room is considered to be “a designated facility where comprehensive health care services are provided. Comprehensive health care services included practice and game preparation, injury/illness evaluation, first aid Jon Dana Christine Alarcon and emergency care, follow-up care, rehabilitation and related services.” (National Athletic Trainer’s Association Education Council) The Sports Medicine Department at the University of New Hampshire consists of eight full- and part-time certified and licensed athletic trainers. The department works out of two locations – the Field House and the Whittemore Center. Both athletic training rooms utilize currently available modalities, including muscle stimulators, ultrasound, heat, cryotherapy, and hydrotherapy. Jon Dana has been involved with UNH athletic program since 1984. He began his career as an assistant athletic trainer and was promoted to men’s head athletic trainer in 1987 and head athletic trainer for the entire program in 1989. In 2001, he was named UNH’s Director of Sports Medicine. In addition to overseeing operations and supervising the Sports Medicine staff, Dana works specifically with the football and ski teams. Dana is well respected in the athletic training field. His international experience includes: working at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with the U.S. Canoe/Kayak team; working for the USA Canoe/Kayak teams at the World Cup in Prague, Slovenia, Augsburg and Germany; working at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens; working for the U.S. Men’s Team Handball squad at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic; and working with the U.S. Track and Field Team at the Paralympics World Championships in Lille, France. Additionally, he has worked at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento, Calif., and at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. Christine Alarcon, a 2010 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, joined the UNH Sports Medicine staff in summer 2010 and is the head trainer for the UNH women's lacrosse team. Alarcon is a licensed athletic trainer in the state of New Hampshire. She also has a NATABOC certification and is certified as a CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer & Healthcare Provider as well as a First Responder. She was a National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) Student Member and is currently a Career Starter Member. As a three-year student athletic trainer at New Hampshire, Alarcon worked specifically with the football, women's basketball, men's soccer as well as men's and women's track & field teams. She also worked at UNH's football and volleyball summer camps.
Strength & conditioning
The two basic goals of the Strength and Conditioning department are injury prevention and performance enhancement for the 20 varsity sports sponsored by the University of New Hampshire, and they have been key in guiding UNH student-athletes to NCAA appearances in both women’s and men’s ice hockey, field hockey, football, gymnastics, women’s volleyball, women’s lacrosse, skiing and track and field. The first goal, injury prevention, revolves around reducing the likelihood of the student-athlete getting injured during games or practice by training the student-athlete as a unit and pinpointing weaknesses in the player that need to be strengthened. The second goal, performance enhancement, centers on making the student-athlete a better studentPaul Chapman John Ciani athlete. This is done by educating student-athletes on a wide range of training from Olympic-style weightlifting to teaching the student-athlete how to move more efficiently while running or during an agility drill. The Strength and Conditioning program plays a vital role in the success of Wildcat basketball. The student-athletes train year-round to perform at their highest level throughout the season. The strength and conditioning program is a comprehensive training program that involves Olympic-style weightlifting, traditional strength training, plyometrics, agility/quickness training and sport-specific conditioning. Paul Chapman enters his 11th year as the director of strength and conditioning at the University of New Hampshire. During his tenure at UNH, Chapman helped coordinate the building and subsequent expansion of the state-of-the-art Jerry Azumah Performance Center. Chapman is a member of the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (strength and conditioning coach certified), USA Weightlifting (certified level 1 coach), the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and he was the state director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association in North Dakota from 1991-95. He has also authored four publications related to strength and conditioning and has trained and consulted several NFL, CFL and NHL athletes, and prospective athletes preparing for all-star games, bowl games and pre-draft testing. John Ciani is entering his 11th year at UNH; after four years as an assistant coach in the University’s strength and conditioning office, Ciani was promoted to the position of Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning in 2006. Ciani, a native of the San Diego, Calif. area, came to UNH after a stint as assistant strength coach at the University of North Dakota. In 2000, John began his career in strength and conditioning at Long Beach State as a graduate assistant working with the perennial national power women’s volleyball team, where he trained many All-American and national team level volleyball players, including Misty May. Ciani received a B.A. degree in Psychology from Long Beach State and worked on his Master’s Degree in Exercise Science at the University of North Dakota.
athletic support staff
Dr. Heather Barber
Athletics Faculty Representative
Diane Metcalf
Director of Athletics Development
Wildcat Lacrosse
Jean Mitchell
Athletic Facilities Manager
Neil Lavoie
Equipment Manager
Melanie Newsky Administrative Assistant for Lacrosse
Justin Barnes
General Manager of Wildcat Sports Properties
Sean Green
Academic Support & Compliance
NCAA tourney appearances: 1984 '85 '86' 87 '91 2004 '08
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