Those shoes have been filled and that mantle passed to Brynn Lewis MS, ATC, a former varsity collegiate softball player who came to Cal from Seattle by way of Brooklyn, N.Y., where she earned her Bachelor and Masters degrees while competing for Long Island University. Since the start of the 2013-14 year, Lewis has managed the athletic training needs of almost 70 male student-athletes with rugby, coordinating their care with the world-class staff that spans from Witter Rugby Field down to the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance, its training quarters, and by extension into the operating rooms and throughout the daily lives of members of the team.
As they joined forces throughout the year to administer to their teams’ needs, Stenger also offered Lewis his advice on dealing with a high-performance culture such as Cal rugby: “I told Brynn that she shouldn’t feel put upon by being challenged, because that’s the goal of what we’re doing: we’re challenging each other to get better.”
Having completed two years in her new position capped by the 2015 national 7s title at the CRC, Lewis has risen to the challenge. Said head coach Jack Clark, “Brynn has been terrific in her role. She has taken the reins from a legendary Cal athletic trainer and learned very quickly. What I need is expert level information and timely communication, and she delivers.”
Lewis and Stenger still have lunch every month or so, and Brynn said, “He’ll still have little tips and tricks that he’s been holding back on and he’ll release to me.”
Compliments are nice, but there are student-athletes who need her help. Brynn Lewis is already off to tackle the next task of the day in her vital role for Cal rugby.
