The Stephens Stars have a stellar Athletics Trainer on the roster. Let's get to know Trainer Trevor!
Introduce yourself, tell us your sports background, and how you got to Stephens College.
My name is Trevor Pezley and I am the Athletic Trainer for Stephens College Athletics. I began playing sports at a young age and developed a strong passion for competition and camaraderie. I grew up playing football, basketball, running track, and baseball. By high school, I narrowed those down to basketball and track. I knew I wanted to be around sports and help athletes after my playing days were over, so Athletic Training was the perfect match for me. I attended Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri where I played basketball for two years and majored in Athletic Training with minors in Health and Biology. I graduated in May of 2013 from Culver with my Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training and immediately started working as an Athletic Trainer in my hometown through a local hospital. While working, I completed my Master’s Degree in Kinesiology with an Athletic Training emphasis in 2015. I moved to Columbia in October of 2020 after accepting a job with MU Healthcare as an Athletic Trainer and that’s how I arrived at Stephens College.
Why Stephens?
I didn’t necessarily choose Stephens, but after interviewing for the job at MU Healthcare, I learned I would be spending my time at Stephens College and was excited for the opportunity to provide Athletic Training services for collegiate athletes. After starting the job and getting to know the coaches and athletes, this has been an amazing experience so far.
What are you looking forward to this year?
I’m looking forward to the continuing growth of the Athletics Department and the programs we have here at Stephens. We made history this year with basketball by receiving an at-large bid to Nationals and winning our first-round matchup in the tournament. We also made history for volleyball by setting the record for most wins in a season and making it to semi-finals of the conference tournament. Soccer also made it to the semi-finals of the conference tournament and softball looks to do the same. I’m excited to be apart of this and hopefully continue our growth to get better and better each year.
What is your motivation or inspiration to work in athletics?
My motivation to work in athletics started when I was in high school. I had a couple minor injuries while playing basketball and running track and got to experience the healthcare side of things while rehabbing. I knew that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to help athletes recover from injuries and help them get back to the sport they love better than before. It’s a rewarding job and the relationships you build with athletes, coaches, parents, and others makes it worthwhile.
Who is your favorite athlete and why?
I have two favorite athletes. One is Shaquille O’Neal. Always loved watched him dominate teams growing up and just his sheer physical size and strength. The other is Brock Purdy. I’m a big Iowa State fan and watching what he did while he was at Iowa State was amazing. Helping lead the football team to some of their best years and now watching him get his chance in the NFL when no one thought he would be on a team, let alone drafted. He has proved his critics wrong on so many occasions. He is humble and lets his play do the talking.
Happy to have you on the team, Trainer Trevor!
#starpower #stephensproud