2021 NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year
NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year
The NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year is awarded to an athletic trainer who best exemplifies the overall purpose of leading their institution, athletic department, and student-athletes through athletic training.
Created in the spring of 2020, the NJCAA Athletic Trainer of the Year is part of the NJCAA Annual Awards that honor three distinct categories across the association - Athletic Director of the Year, Sports Information Director of the Year, and Athletic Trainer of the Year. These awards represent individuals who strive to create the optimal student-athlete experience on their campus while also performing duties that go far beyond the institutional level. To view past winners, visit: NJCAA Annual Award Past Winners
Mike Roche | Grand Rapids Community College (MI) | Athletic Trainer
In his 26th year as Athletic Trainer for Grand Rapids, Roche is responsible for the health and safety of nearly 150 student-athletes on the Raiders' eight athletic teams. Roche provides athletic training care at all of Grand Rapids' home events including volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball games, and cross country meets in addition to working closely with the team's physician to ensure each student-athlete has a valid sports physical on file and is able to compete.
Roche has been key in implementing health and safety policies to keep Grand Rapids student-athletes safe when returning to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2020-21 academic year, five of the eight Raiders' teams qualified to NJCAA national tournaments. This was largely due to Roche's ability to keep student-athletes healthy during a global pandemic. Over the course of the semester, Roche spent countless hours developing and implementing new health and safety policies and procedures including sourcing proper disinfectant equipment and researching the best masks to wear during athletic competition.
In addition to teaching Introduction to Athletic Training at Grand Rapids, Roche is a member of the NJCAA Region 12 Reintegration Committee which developed region-wide COVID-19 protocols to keep student-athlete health and safety as a top priority while competing during the pandemic.
For all 2021 NJCAA Honors and Annual Award Winners, visit: 2021 NJCAA Award Winners
For all NJCAA Honors, please visit: NJCAA Honors Home