Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302

Aug. 1, 2025 – The North Central College athletic training staff welcomes five new members to its team ahead of the 2025-2026 athletic year, as Assistant Director of Athletics for Health Care and Director of Sports Medicine Dr. Brittany James '10/M'15 announced the hiring of Sydney Szalinski, Francesca LaTorraca, Janelle Abarca, Rosalyn Craine, and Nathan Steinl.
 
The five new additions to the team will join the strong core that is James, Tracy Stephen, and Sarah Finkel '21. Stephen has been on staff since 2016 while Finkel joined North Central originally as a Duly Health and Care contract athletic trainer in 2022 and is now a Northwestern Medicine contract.
 
North Central's athletic training staff is dedicated to providing quality, comprehensive, and evidence-based treatment to support the physical and mental well-being of every student-athlete. This athletic year, the Cardinals will include over 750 student-athletes.
 
Szalinski comes to North Central by way of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she completed both her undergraduate and graduate education. She received a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation science in 2023 and her master's in athletic training in 2025. As an athletic training student, Szalinski gained collegiate clinical experience with UW-Oshkosh football, track and field, and men's basketball, in addition to working with Northwestern University's football program as an immersive student. Outside of the collegiate environment, Szalinski spent time as an athletic training student at Bellin Walk-In Clinic in Green Bay, Wis., and Freedom High School in Freedom, Wis. Szalinski will work with North Central's football and softball programs.
 
Working alongside Szalinski with the football program will be LaTorraca. She will also be responsible for athletic training care of the men's and women's tennis teams. LaTorraca comes to North Central after serving three years as an assistant athletic trainer at Clarke University. There, she worked with the football, track and field, men's lacrosse, and cheer programs. LaTorraca received her bachelor's degree in athletic training in 2020 from the University of Missouri, before earning her master's degree in sports administration and physical education at the University of North Carolina Pembroke in 2022. She gained clinical experience as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at UNC Pembroke, working with the football and women's swimming teams. LaTorraca also served a stint working with the University of Missouri football team as an athletic training student. While at Clarke, LaTorraca taught an undergraduate athletic training class in fall 2024 at Loras College.
 
Abarca will oversee women's basketball and men's and women's volleyball care at North Central. She earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2016 from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, before receiving her master's in athletic training from Franklin College in 2021. During her time at Franklin, she gained hands-on experience through clinical rotations at local high schools, the St. Vincent Sports Performance Center at the Indiana Pacers Training Facility, and assisting at the Big Ten men's and women's basketball tournaments. She spent the last four years on Franklin's staff as an assistant athletic trainer, working with women's volleyball, men's basketball, men's and women's tennis, and baseball.
 
Craine comes to North Central by way of a fellow College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin school, Carroll University. She received her bachelor's degree in athletic training in 2019 and is actively pursuing her doctorate in athletic training from Moravian University. Most recently, Craine served as an affiliate athletic trainer with Athletico Physical Therapy at Elk Grove High School while working seasonally with Athletes Unlimited Softball League as the athletic trainer for the Talons softball team. As a student athletic trainer, Craine worked with Northwestern University's football program during her final undergraduate year. At North Central, she will serve as the primary athletic trainer for men's and women's cross country and track and field programs.
 
Another product of Carroll University, Steinl received both his bachelor's degree in exercise science and his master's in athletic training from Carroll. In addition to working with the Pioneers' women's soccer team, Steinl gained clinical experience with the University of Wisconsin-Madison women's soccer team, CURE Clinic, Carroll University Sports Medicine Clinic, and Muskego and Catholic Memorial High Schools. Steinl will work primarily with wrestling and women's lacrosse at North Central.