BUIES CREEK, North Carolina – Campbell University’s Director of Sports Medicine, Dr. Andrew Martin, and sports medicine fellow, Dr. Matthew Heller, served as event physicians for the Women’s NCAA Division I Final Four Soccer Tournament on December 4 and 6 at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina .
Campbell University co-hosted the title tournament along with the Town of Cary, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA), and Capital Area Soccer League (CASL).
Dr. Heller and Dr. Martin, along with the Campbell University Athletic Training staff, were among over 30 CU volunteers who participated in staffing the event. This is the third-year Campbell was involved with the NCAA event – last year CU assisted in hosting the Men’s College Cup.
The Campbell physicians and athletic trainers came to the field with their expertise and equipment prepared to handle emergencies or any trauma incidents alongside Cary EMS and the State Medical Assistance Team (SMAT).
“It was an exciting opportunity to be involved in such a wide scale event,” said Dr. Matthew Heller, Sports Medicine Fellow at Campbell University. “Seeing some of the top athletes in the country come together, all with the goal of winning the national championship, took the level of competition to an intense level.”
The opportunity to work with Division I athletes from across the country was one of the features of Campbell’s Sports Medicine Fellowship that attracted Dr. Heller. A graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Heller completed a Family Medicine Residency at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, NY prior to entering the Sports Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Heller has also served as a Team Physician for the Massapequa School District providing medical coverage at numerous athletic events – including for other local school districts – and he is a physician member for USA Boxing. A member of his hometown Fire Department since high school, Dr. Heller continues to remain active as a Firefighter / EMS Volunteer providing care to his community away from athletic field sidelines. Volunteer experiences in addition to the experience at Campbell University athletic events and events of a larger scale like the NCAA tournament will equip Heller and future Campbell fellows to enter the profession ready to work with athletes of all skill levels and ages.
“The NCAA College Cup has been a unique venue for Campbell Sports Medicine to cover,” said program director, Dr. Andrew Martin. “It gives our Fellows an opportunity to cover a high profile, large scale event that is different from our regular season games. The preparation required in hosting such an event is a valuable experience that helps them to prepare for future Mass Sporting Events in their careers. Campbell Sports Medicine continues to expand its coverage beyond university athletics with coverage of the Beach to Battleship Triathlon and the Fort Liberty Marathon.”