Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Connecticut College Athletics’ website highlights the college’s 28 varsity sports teams, including write-ups, news releases, and pictures that showcase the feats of the student-athletes and their coaches. Hidden behind the impressive performances and school records lies the small room located in the fitness center: the sports medicine training room. It’s here, away from the game-day spotlights and trophy presentations, that another team goes to work. The athletic trainers, often unseen and rarely celebrated, are the ones who help make those highlight-worthy moments possible. Ivan Asikainen is one of these trainers.
A member of the Connecticut College sports medicine team since 2024, Ivan Asikainen is a licensed athletic trainer with certifications in adult and pediatric first aid, CPR, and AED. Asikainen received his undergraduate degree in exercise science, with a minor in German, from the University of Rhode Island, graduating magna cum laude in 2021. It was at URI that he discovered his passion for athletic training. During Asikainen’s sophomore year of college he took the university’s introduction to athletic training course and fell in love with the field. He originally thought he would pursue a career in physical training, but it was this course that showed him the excitement of athletic training. “I wanted to do something more dynamic, and…it [athletic training] seemed better than solely working in a clinic.”
Asikainen went on to earn his Master of Science in athletic training at the University of Connecticut. While at UConn, he primarily worked with the football team, including pre-practice/game preparations and post-operative rehab plans. Studying in the #2 kinesiology program in the country at the time, he shared, “our professors were really smart. A lot of them are researchers or have a lot of experience.” Asikainen recorded around 3000 hours at various clinical sites throughout his time at UConn, gaining experience through live practicals and hands-on work. He worked with many different athletic trainers, obtaining different mentors at different parts of his education. However, he does attribute his greatest inspiration to a local high school athletic trainer at Edwin O. Smith High School. “She tested me a lot and got me really ready right before I graduated.” Asikainen graduated in 2024, becoming a fully certified athletic trainer and beginning his role at Connecticut College soon after.
Better known as Ivan by his athletes, Asikainen covers teams throughout the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Connecticut College is unique in that each athletic trainer receives a team assignment, which is different from most Division III schools. Each of Asikainen’s team and season has its own challenges. He mainly focuses on women’s soccer in the fall, traveling with the team to away games every weekend. Asikainen acknowledged the hecticness of the soccer season, dealing with “a short window to do a lot of practice prep,” having to get up to Freeman Field to cover each practice, and just being more rushed. He is also tasked with covering the men’s and women’s cross-country team, highlighted by the Harkness Memorial home invitational in October. “It’s a huge meet. That takes a lot too,” he said. Despite the craziness of the fall season, Asikainen travels the most during the winter. He goes to back-to-back games with the women’s hockey team, requiring lots of overnight travel within the NESCAC. The spring season provides a break in terms of traveling, yet he finds himself busier in the office. Covering men’s and women’s track requires a different kind of attention. “I have to do a lot more rehab and chronic stuff…I have more time to get into the niche details of some of my rehab plans,” he added. No matter the team he is covering, Asikainen gives it his all, sharing that “all of my patients have to receive the best case regardless of the season.”
Asikainen’s athletes have nothing but high praises to share about the athletic trainer and his contributions to their careers at Connecticut College. Molly Donovan ’27, a cross country and track athlete, highlighted Ivan’s attention to detail and the effort he puts in to “curating a personalized rehabilitation plan.” “…he did outside research in his spare time to develop the best approach for my return-to-run process, going above and beyond what I expect from Sports Medicine at Conn.” She also noted his “desire to get to know us as humans outside of our sport” creating a “comfortable environment” in sports medicine. Teammate Caroline Graziani ’27 also spoke about the “really fun” sports med environment Ivan helps create. “He also listens to your input but ultimately ends up making decisions for what is best for your training,” Graziani added.
Alongside the praises from his athletes, Asikainen is also appreciated by his coworkers in the sports medicine office. Certified athletic trainer, personal trainer, and Functional Nutrition and Metabolism Specialist Sarah Acerbo shared about Asikainen’s dedication to his work and his patients, stating he is “consistently doing additional research and asking questions to come to the roots of a problem.” Certified athletic trainer Annie Tynes also spoke on his use of “extensive research to solve all issues.” Mara Lippman, a UConn athletic training immersion student currently interning at Connecticut College, possibly spends the most time with Asikainen, shadowing and learning from him. She described her experience working with him as “very fun.” “He’s very smart, whether or not he thinks he is,” she said. Lippman added that Asikainen is very special, in that he can find the super small details and is able to dive into what an athlete’s injury is. “Ivan’s a very professional person and a big rule follower…a good role model for me to try to follow when I start my career,” she added. She is leaving Connecticut College having learned tremendously, having been “trusted to do a lot, evaluate people, and get great feedback about it,” a true testament to Asikainen’s leadership and teaching abilities as an athletic trainer.
Asikainen’s dedication and impact on his student-athletes, coworkers, and interns is evident. He truly values everyone he encounters. When asked about the best part of being an athletic trainer, he responded immediately: “The default answer is the people. It’s why you pick this profession. We are the only healthcare providers, for the most part, that know our patients before they’re injured.”
I know a feature is typically not personalized, but Ivan is too great of a person and an athletic trainer to not add my own thoughts. As a dual-sport athlete, with recent injuries, whose teams are both covered by him, I spend my fair share of time in sports medicine. The environment is extremely welcoming. Ivan makes it fun to come in and go through your rehab or receive treatment. He helped me through an injury in the soccer season and is currently helping guide me through post-operative recovery and rehab. I am so grateful for his dedication and the attention he gives me and my teammates. His impact does not go unnoticed, and I hope this feature shines even the smallest spotlight on athletic trainer Ivan Asikainen’s contributions to Connecticut College Athletics.
