LOWELL, Mass. – Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Performance, Lainie Williams, has announced the promotions of Mark MacDonald and Natalie Montminy to the roles of Associate Athletic Trainer. MacDonald has spent the last four years as an assistant athletic trainer, while Montminy joined the staff in May of 2022 as an assistant athletic trainer.

"Mark and Natalie have been an integral part of the Athletic Healthcare staff and are well deserving of their promotions," said Williams. "I'm excited to witness the continued growth of Mark and Natalie in their new positions and the impact they will have on River Hawk Nation."

During his time at UMass Lowell, McDonald has worked with the hockey team and joined the athletic healthcare staff as an intern athletic trainer in 2017, before getting promoted in 2019. He previously served as a home game athletic trainer for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse, and with Marathon Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine as a trainer and exercise specialist.

As an undergraduate at Sacred Heart University, MacDonald worked clinical rotations with the wrestling and men's soccer teams, while pursuing a bachelor's degree in athletic training. On the field, he played for the Pioneers' men's lacrosse team all four years, captaining the squad in his senior year. He went on to graduate in 2015, before completing his Master of Science in psychology from Southern New Hampshire University.

Montminy, since arriving at UMass Lowell in 2022, has worked with the women's basketball team and brought five years of athletic training experience to the staff. She most recently spent four years as the head athletic trainer at Raymond High School and Middle School in Raymond, N.H.

Prior to her time in Raymond, Montminy received her master's in advanced clinical practice of athletic training from East Stroudsburg University, where she was a graduate assistant athletic trainer of club sports, overseeing the men's rugby, ice hockey and lacrosse teams. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2017 from Plymouth State University.

She has also been certified with the American Red Cross as both a professional rescuer and an instructor for First Aid, CPR and AED and has also received her certification as a Corrective Exercise Specialist.