ONEONTA, N.Y. - SUNY Oneonta Athletics Director Ryan Hooper announced the hiring of Shelby Croft as the Interim Head Athletic Trainer starting in 2024. Croft most recently was the head football athletic trainer at SUNY Morrisville. 

"The SUNY Oneonta Athletic Department is extremely excited to announce the hiring of Shelby as our new Head Athletic Trainer," said Hooper. "She comes to us with various levels of experience within sports medicine, which we know will help to provide well-rounded care. We know she will make an immediate impact on our student-athletes. We are grateful to have her in this position, which is crucial to our department. We welcome her to the Red Dragon family."

Prior to Morrisville, Croft worked at Syracuse University, where she was an assistant athletic trainer for the women's ice hockey team. She has also worked with women's soccer and the spirit squad and has overseen graduate assistants assigned to women's rowing and softball since 2016.

"I'm happy to be here at SUNY Oneonta," said Croft. "I look forward to working with all the coaches and athletes within the department to foster an environment for athletic success."

In addition to her role as an athletic trainer with the Orange, Croft also spent time within the classroom instructing an introduction to sports medicine course within the exercise science program. Croft also had the opportunity to spend time with highly competitive teams at Syracuse, working with the fall football camp and providing coverage for spring football, secondary coverage for men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's lacrosse.

Before her time on the sidelines with Syracuse, Croft was a certified athletic trainer for Excelsior Orthopedics in Buffalo, providing outreach for the Amherst School District while supervising Daemen College athletic training students.

Croft earned her bachelor of science degree in health and fitness training from Daemen College before completing her masters of science in athletic training in 2014. She also completed her graduate certificate in athletic administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

Croft maintains professional certification and affiliation with the National Athletic Trainer's Association, the Eastern Athletic Trainers' Association, the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association, and the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers' Association.

In addition, Croft also holds a Sports Manual Therapy Certification and is a Corrective Exercise Specialist.