XULA’s Pascual earns share of RRAC Athletic Trainer of the Year award

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana’s Abi Pascual was voted by her peers as Red River Athletic Conference Co-Athletic Trainer of the Year for 2021-22. The RRAC announced the award June 20.

Pascual shared the award with LSU-Shreveport’s Meghan Neffendorf.

“Abi is a very professional and caring athletic trainer,” said Nathan Cochran, XULA’s executive director of athletics and recreation. “She is exceptionally skilled at working with our student-athletes, coaches and administrators. I am blessed to have her in our program because great athletic trainers are hard to find and even harder to keep.”

Pascual — a longtime resident of California’s Orange County and a graduate of Cal State Fullerton and Texas Tech — is in her fourth year at XULA. She was promoted to head athletic trainer in March 2021.

“It is nice to be recognized by my colleagues, all of whom are also excellent athletic trainers,” Pascual said. “They make the job easy and fun.”

Athletic trainers are provided as part of the longtime partnership between XULA Athletics and Ochsner Health System’s sports medicine division.