COLCHESTER, VT. — Saint Michael’s College Head Athletic Trainer Renee Breault announced the hire of Abigail Keough, of Sandy Hook, as an athletic trainer on Monday, with her first day of employment set for Saturday. Keough, a recent graduate of the University of Vermont, becomes the fourth full-time member of the athletic training staff.

“Excitement only begins to describe my feelings about joining the Saint Michael’s family,” said Keough, who spent two semesters working at the college during her time as a UVM undergraduate. “I was brought up in a household with two Saint Michael’s alumni for parents, so you can bet they are just as excited about this career choice. During my time as a student, I finally learned first-hand why they continue to be closely connected to the school. The clear compassion for others in the community and dedication to leading positive lives was evident to me the first day I stepped onto campus and every day following. After my first clinical rotation here I was hooked. Working at Saint Michael’s has been a career goal and dream of mine ever since.”

Keough gained a vast amount of experience while studying in the UVM Athletic Training Education Program. She served in the spring as the head athletic training student at nearby Colchester High School, where she provided on-field evaluations and daily rehabilitation to student-athletes. In the fall of 2014, Keough worked at The Edge in South Burlington, performing physical therapy for patients aged 9 to 90 years old, while also providing outreach athletic training services to non-student-athletes and club rugby members at Saint Michael’s.

“Abigail was an outstanding athletic training student from UVM who we were very fortunate to have here at Saint Michael’s,” said Breault. “She is a rising star in the field of athletic training, and she brings an outstanding amount of passion, energy, and dedication to her student-athletes each and every day. We are very lucky to have Abigail, as a young professional, join our athletic training team here at Saint Michael’s. She already bleeds purple.” Both of Keough’s parents, Edward Jr and Nan Jane, were members of the college’s Class of 1982.

During spring 2014, Keough organized a symposium at UVM to educate medical students on the roles of athletic trainers in the field of sports medicine before serving as a teaching assistant the following fall in the athletic training education program. In 2013, Keough split the year working at the Division I and II levels as an on-site athletic training student. She worked exclusively in the spring with the women’s lacrosse team at UVM before gaining experience during the fall semester at Saint Michael’s, where she aided the field hockey and men’s and women’s ice hockey teams. She also worked at South Burlington High School in fall 2012. Since graduating, Keough worked at nearby Norwich University this summer with the football team while assisting with preseason health screenings for all fall student-athletes.

A May 2015 graduate of UVM, Keough earned her bachelor’s degree in athletic training. She is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and is a Board of Certification certified athletic trainer. As an undergraduate, Keough was a member of UVM’s Alpine skiing club, Ski and Snowboard Club, and the Student Athletic Medicine Society. Outside of school, she was a medical volunteer for two Vermont City Marathons and for the 2014 Massachusetts Bay State Games.