Utah Athletic Trainer of the Year From Intermountain Cedar City Hospital

Melissa Mendini-Gates, Intermountain Cedar City Hospital caregiver has been honored as Utah’s 2023-24 Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Utah Athletic Trainers Association. For nearly a decade, Mendini-Gates has been a trainer at Cedar High School and has developed a great bond with student athletes, coaches, and parents who she supports on the field and in the training room.

“Melissa is just outstanding, and our entire community trusts and loves her because she’s given so much to our entire county and school district,” said Eric Packer, president of Intermountain Cedar City Hospital. “This honor is well deserved for her dedication to athletes in her care.”

Mendini-Gates was nominated by her peers to be the Utah Athletic Trainers Association (UATA) Secondary Schools athletic trainer of the year.  After being nominated for this award, it went to the Honors and Awards committee for the UATA. The committee then determined that she should be the recipient of this prestigious award.

“As president of the UATA, I feel very proud that Melissa earned this award. She exemplifies excellence in athletic training,” said Marcus Homer, president of the Utah Athletic Trainers Association for Secondary Schools. “Cedar City High School is very lucky to have such a great athletic trainer and valued healthcare professional.”

Mendini-Gates is one of dozens of Intermountain Health athletic trainers supporting student athletes and high school teams across the state. Intermountain teams up with high schools across Utah to provide athletic trainers, which have become an invaluable resource to keeping student athletes healthy, safe, and performing at their best.

Mendini-Gates said her love for athletic training started with watching her dad, Ricky Mendini, who was the longtime athletic trainer at Southern Utah University.

“I was incredibly fortunate to have a dad as an athletic trainer,” said Mendini-Gates. “Athletic training allows me the ability to positively influence high school athletes, and it’s a rewarding experience to be able to educate them about their bodies, injuries, the healing process, and helping them return to the sport, they’re passionate about.”

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.