VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota assistant athletic director for sports medicine Colby Keegan is pleased to announce the hiring of Jessie Abbott, Bridget Fenger and Brooke Opdahl as athletic trainers.
 
Abbott, hailing from Cedar City, Utah, completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Southern Utah. She was the SUU College of Education and Human Development's Valedictorian in 2020. She spent the past two years working with a variety of the Thunderbirds' athletic programs. While completing her master's degree in athletic training, she also worked as an adjunct professor at Southern Utah. Abbott will work primarily with the Coyote track & field and triathlon programs.
 
Fenger, a native of Tiffin, Iowa, returns to her alma mater after spending the last two years completing her master's degree at Iowa. She worked with the Hawkeye volleyball, basketball and rowing programs the last two years. She also gained postgraduate experience working at West High School in Iowa City, Iowa, and at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. As an undergraduate at USD, she helped with the Coyote football and soccer programs. She graduated from USD in 2020 with her bachelor's in kinesiology and sport management, emphasizing in exercise science. Fenger's primary sports will be swimming & diving and triathlon.
 
Opdahl, a native of Hazel, South Dakota, joins the Coyote athletic training staff in a full-time capacity this summer. She spent the spring semester gaining clinical experience in USD's athletic training room and helping with the Coyote football and basketball teams. Other clinical experience includes working with the University of Colorado women's soccer team, the SDSU athletic training department, and several clinics in South Dakota. Opdahl earned both her degrees from South Dakota State, completing her bachelor's in exercise science in 2020 and her master's degree in athletic training in 2022. Opdahl will work with the Coyote football team.