Meet the Hosts

Meet the Athletic Training Chat Podcast hosts. Each host brings a unique viewpoint and perspective from the field of athletic training but one thing remains common, they all love the profession and the people that are in it.

This group will continue to highlight the wonderful people that are in athletic training and the stories they have to tell. It's been an incredible journey so far and we can't wait to continue to meet new people as the podcast continues to grow.

We are happy to introduce: 

Austin Fitzpatrick

A native of La Crosse, Wisc., Austin graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Master of Science in Athletic Training in May 2020 where he worked directly with baseball, track and field, and the Milwaukee Fire Department. During this time, Austin also gained experience as an intern with Vanderbilt Baseball as well as doing an immersion rotation at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he worked mainly with football but also saw athletes across the entire athletics department. 

Austin graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science where a majority of his focus was on strength and conditioning/sports performance. Currently, Austin Fitzpatrick is the Fellow Athletic Trainer for Mississippi State University Baseball.

 

Austin has a special interest in working with baseball and overhead athletes and bridging the gap between sports medicine and sports performance. In addition to being a certified athletic trainer, Austin is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, and EXOS performance specialist. 

Dr. Mercedes Himmons

Currently working as a Clinical Instructor/Athletic Trainer at California University of Pennsylvania (PA), Dr. Mercedes Himmons is joining the Athletic Training Chat team.  Dr. Himmons is primarily responsible for the women’s basketball and women’s soccer teams at Cal U.

 

Himmons earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal U in 2010 and 2011, respectively. While at Cal U, she worked with the volleyball team in 2008 that advanced to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The previous year, she completed an internship with Thomas Jefferson High School when the Jaguars won the PIAA football state championship.

 

Before returning to Cal U, Himmons spent time at Arcadia and Gwynedd Mercy, which are both NCAA Division III schools outside of Philadelphia. At Gwynedd Mercy, she served as the primary contact for the women’s soccer, cross country, track & field, women’s lacrosse and cheerleading teams. Himmons was the head athletic trainer at Arcadia after spending time with the men’s soccer, swimming, and women’s lacrosse teams. She worked with the women’s lacrosse team in 2014 when it captured the conference title to earn its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Himmons is a Corrective Exercise Specialist and a Performance Enhancement Specialist through NASM.  She also served as an Emergency Medical Technician for three years.  Himmons is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and volunteers with the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society (PATS).  She currently serves as the Inclusivity and Diversity committee chair for PATS and also serves on the Quarterly News committee.

 

She completed her doctorate degree at Robert Morris University in Instructional Management and Leadership.  Her research focused on African-American student-athlete retention in higher education.

Joel Luedke

Joel Luedke is currently the Assistant AD of Athletic Training & Sports Performance at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where his primary sports responsibilities are football, golf and tennis.

He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in athletic training and his graduate degree from the University of Kansas in exercise science. Currently he is pursuing his doctorate from Concordia University-Chicago in Athletic Administration and Leadership. His clinical experience includes working with track & field/cross country for 5 years, and most recently his work with football, golf, and tennis for the past seven years.

Joel's interests in athletic training are better developing prevention strategies from the strength and conditioning aspect to help build more resilient athletes. He also focuses on the most impactful interventions and how small changes can have huge impacts on future outcomes. Lately, a focus on leadership abilities in the profession of athletic training and helping other athletic trainers develop them to increase their balance with work has become a focus. In addition to his job, Joel has an abundance of outside interests including running and building a podcast network that Athletic Training Chat is a part of (The Clinically Pressed Co-op). Reading is a passion and about the only thing Joel collects. Typical reading includes having 3-4 books going at one time. 

Greg Winkelman

Greg Winkelman is from Westfield, WI. After high school he went on to get his undergraduate degree from UW-La Crosse in Exercise Sport Science and right into pursuing my master’s degree in Athletic Training at UW-La Crosse.  Greg's experiences involve hands-on opportunities with UW-La Crosse athletics, local La Crosse high schools, and Mayo Clinic Health System-Sports Medicine. Greg aspires to pursue a Doctorate in Athletic Training and work with high level collegiate or professional athletics. Greg enjoys high pressure situations, advanced rehabilitation, and collaborating on treatment ideas with colleagues. Greg also has an enthusiasm for networking and meeting other athletic trainers that share the same passion about treating patients and expanding the profession. ATChat has given Greg a great opportunity to network with others and share the experiences with our audience.

Greg has two extremely supportive and fun parents and an older sister who is a great role model. Greg's dad operates a tool-and-die factory, his mom is a secretary at the Westfield grade school, and his sister is a nurse at a NICU in Madison, WI. In Greg's free time he enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, fitness, watching sports, and playing golf. Greg grew up playing any sport that I could get involved with and became passionate about athletics. Greg also realized that he was fond of medicine at a young age, and both of these played a major role in how Greg landed on the field of Athletic Training. One day Greg hopes to inspire others in the field to chase their dreams and find a job that fits well with their goals and definition of success. In the meantime, Greg continues to meet great people, help patients the best he can, and spend as much time as possible with family and friends.