EUGENE, Ore. –Northwest Christian University announces the hiring of Jacob Statz, ATC as the new Athletic Trainer for the Beacons 12-sport athletic program. Statz will oversee all athletic training endeavors for the athletic department which boasts over 150 student-athletes. Statz replaces Jarred Gibson, who resigned in May.

Athletic Director Corey Anderson said, “We are all very excited to welcome Jake to the NCU Athletics family. Jake brings a wealth of experience from his time at Iowa State and the U of O. While this is his first opportunity as a Head Athletic Trainer, the knowledge that he was able to absorb and the ATCs that he was able to work under have prepared him very well for this opportunity.”

Statz is a recent graduate of the Master of Science in Athletic Training program at the University of Oregon. While earning his degree, Statz was a Graduate Teaching Fellow and worked for the Duck Athletic Training staff for football, baseball, and tennis. He completed his undergraduate work in Kinesiology and Health at Iowa State University.

Statz said, “I was immediately interested in the position after speaking with Jarred and learning how happy he was here and what a wonderful experience he had. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the University's student athletes and am eager to collaborate with the staff. Corey Anderson has been wonderful throughout the entire process and I truly enjoyed meeting everyone. I was drawn to the strong community feel as I toured campus and the fact that a student athlete was deeply involved in the interviewing process, was a testament to the family environment at NCU.”

Statz is heavily involved in the Northwest Athletic Trainers Association (NWATA) and served as a co-presenter during the 2010 National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Annual Meeting.

Statz is scheduled to begin working immediately in preparation for the 2011 Fall Sports Season at NCU.