Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Athletic Trainer
Sara MacDonough-Civitello joined the Quinnipiac Sports Medicine staff full-time in September 2014 and serves as a Senior Associate Athletic Trainer. Sara works with the Men’s Basketball Program, serves as a liaison for club sports coverage, moderator for the Student Athletic Training Club, American Red Cross Instructor, and is a Clinical Preceptor for the Athletic Training and Health Science Programs. She teaches Emergency Management of Athletic Trauma and Professionalism & Management in Athletic Training within the Athletic Training Educational Program.
As a member of the board for In A Heartbeat Foundation, Sara has helped to implement an ECG screening program, which identifies possible cardiac conditions in professional, varsity, and club sport athletes on campus and throughout the state. The program creates experiential, volunteer, and networking opportunities for all students in health-related majors in Connecticut higher-ed institutions.
MacDonough-Civitello came on board in 2013 and served as a part-time faculty member prior to her full-time position in the fall of 2014. She brings a myriad of collegiate athletic training experiences in a diverse range of settings, having work experience with the military, public safety, performing arts, and collegiate athletics. Prior stints include The U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Colby College, Marist College, and East Stroudsburg University.
MacDonough-Civitello’s breadth of experience spans numerous sports with specific expertise in field hockey, football, lacrosse, and basketball. Sara has served as a Sports Medicine and Emergency Preparedness liability and risk consultant at the high school and college, and military levels. With a passion for injury prevention, mental health, and emergency care, MacDonough-Civitello also has a background in strengthening & conditioning, sports performance training, and culture development.
Prior to Quinnipiac, MacDonough-Civitello compiled over a decade of athletic training experience – the bulk of her time spent at U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Colby College. At USCGA, she worked directly with the varsity football, Indoor Track, Swimming & Diving, Softball, and general cadet fitness training, testing, and Swab Summer Bootcamp, while at Colby; she worked with varsity Football, Men’s Basketball, and Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, as well as Squash.
MacDonough-Civitello earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science/Athletic Training/Adult and Corporate Fitness from Johnson State College in 2000 and did coursework for her Master’s Degree in Athletic Training at East Stroudsburg University as well as a Master’s Degree from Quinnipiac University in Organizational Leadership. She has been inducted into the Johnson State College Athletics Hall of Fame and continues to be involved in advocacy at her alma mater today.
Sara was named the Athletic Trainer of the Year for the State of Connecticut in 2023.
She currently resides in Hamden, Connecticut with her husband Mike.
