March 5, 2025 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Three exercise science faculty members have been selected to receive the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Toni Torres-McGehee, the director for athletic training graduate programs, graduate director for the M.S. in Athletic Training program Jim Mensch, and associate professor Susan Yeargin are among the selected recipients chosen from athletic training professionals and researchers nationwide.
These awards, which date back more than 30 years, recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to leadership, volunteer service, advocacy and distinguished professional activities as an athletic trainer. The award committee gives particular consideration to service and leadership involvement at the national and district level.
"This recognition for Toni, Susan and Jim is a clear reflection of just how incredible
our athletic training faculty really are," says exercise science chair Shawn Arent. "It is unprecedented to see three faculty from the same program given this honor
in the same year. There is no doubt in my mind that our athletic training program
is truly elite and sets the standard. It is no wonder they can attract impressive
students. I am so incredibly proud of the three of them and am thrilled to see them
honored on the national stage for the amazing work we get to witness every day."
A first-generation college student, Torres-McGehee has been a faculty member at USC for nearly two decades. In addition to teaching and research, she is a mentor and advocate for students, junior faculty and the profession. The associate professor also serves as the Arnold School’s Associate Dean of Access and Collective Engagement and co-chair for USC’s Council of Academic Inclusive Excellence Officers. She is a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine and has author to numerous publications, abstract and presentations related to mental health, energy availability, social determinants of health, food insecurity and access to healthcare for mental health. She currently serves as a co-investigator for the MCH LEAP and NIH FIRST FIIRRE programs, both focused on advancing health equity and faculty and student diversity.
At the national level, Torres-McGehee has held numerous leadership roles with scientific
journals, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), and the Commission on
Accreditation for Athletic Training Education, where she currently serves as president.
In recognition of her exceptional contributions, NATA has honored her with its highest
top service award. Closer to home, she has received the Arnold School’s Faculty Service Award and the USC Educational Foundation’s Outstanding Service Award.
With research interests in pediatric sports medicine, Mensch also has a passion for helping athletic training professionals socialize into the workforce, particularly in non-traditional settings. A USC faculty member for more than 20 years, the clinical associate professor teaches a variety of courses in athletic training and exercise science, including a sports medicine series he developed and leads in international settings.
Mensch has served in multiple roles for NATA, the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association,
and the SEC Athletic Training Consortium. He is the recipient of the Fort Jackson
Commanders Coin, Young Alumni Achievement Award (Temple University), Outstanding Research
Award (USC College of Education), the Two Thumbs Up Award (USC Student Disability
Resource Center), Athletic Training Service Award (NATA), and the Impact Award for
Education (World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy).
An expert in heat illness, Yeargin is also devoted to her students, as evidenced by their selection of her as the program’s Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year three years in a row. She invites students to contribute to her research, which has resulted in more than 80 peer-reviewed publications.
Beyond campus, Yeargin participates in committees and boards for professional and
scientific organizations, such as the Korey Stringer Institute’s Medical Advisory
Board and NATA’s Pronouncements Committee, which she leads as chair. She is a Fellow in both NATA and the American College of Sports Medicine and is the only researcher
to serve as an author on heat illness consensus statements for both organizations.
Yeargin is also the recipient of two Distinguished Alumni Awards from the University
of Connecticut.
Athletic Trainers are health care professionals employed in a variety of professional settings who strive to deliver the most advanced, evidence-based, comprehensive, and personalized health care services for the continued optimal performance of each physically active patient. Learn more about our programs.
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