HPU Press Release – Seven Howard Payne University students majoring in athletic training participated in the ninth annual Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association (SWATA) competency workshop and quiz bowl at the end of January. The event took place on the Texas State University campus in San Marcos.

HPU students who attended the conference were senior Ruth Davis from Cibolo, senior Corey Martinez from Bangs, senior Dezeray Tafte from Eastland, senior Elizabeth Fargo from Saginaw, senior William Rangel-Alfaro from San Antonio, junior Dustin Bachus from Edna and junior Ariana Rehm from Uhland.

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This was the first time all HPU athletic training upperclassmen were able to participate in this event. HPU is one of 17 professional athletic training programs in SWATA, which includes graduate and undergraduate programs from Texas and Arkansas. The workshop is designed to increase the students’ professional and clinical skills as well as help them prepare for the certification exam.

The quiz bowl is a competition in the style of a game show made up of teams of three from accredited schools in SWATA. HPU’s team consisted of seniors Davis, Martinez and Tafte. They competed with teams from universities including The University of Texas, Texas State University, Texas A&M University, Hardin-Simmons University, Baylor University, The University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Lutheran University. The winning team from the quiz bowl gets the opportunity to compete in a similar competition at the National Athletic Trainers Association meeting this summer.

“I am really proud of our quiz bowl team,” said Mike Terrill, director of HPU’s Athletic Training Education Program. “They competed very well and represented the quality of education we provide at Howard Payne.”

For more information about the Athletic Training Education Program, contact HPU’s School of Education at 325-649-8203 or visit www.hputx.edu/atep.