Athletic Training | 8/7/2026 1:41:00 PM
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University Athletics announced the addition of four new assistant athletic trainers, bringing the staff to a full complement of eight full-time staffers.
"I'm very excited for the additions to the Athletic Training staff bringing the Sports Medicine Program to a full roster," assistant athletic director for sports medicine Lloyd Knudson said. "It will enable us to provide the best coverage and care for the over 500 Barry student-athletes in our care."
Joining the staff for the 2026-27 season are Maria Do Vale, Chris Duncan, Caroline Dunigan and Nina Luebke as assistant athletic trainers.
Do Vale comes to The Shores from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a master of science in athletic training in May of 2026. With the Golden Rams, she worked under supervision with the football and nationally-ranked baseball team, designing individualized rehabilitation programs to increase strength, range of motion, mobility, and return-to-play readiness. In addition, she worked at Upper Merion and Great Valley high schools, as well as with the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.
She gained hands-on experience as a volunteer in the community, caring for low-income families/ individuals in a non-traditional setting and with the Special Olympics held at Villanova.
Duncan brings an impressive resume, including most recently working at Premier Sports Medicine in Boynton Beach, Fla., providing out-reach coverage to Somerset Academy's middle and high schools. He spent 13 years as an assistant athletic trainer at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., providing full-time coverage to several sports, including baseball, women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's squash and men's rowing.
He spent two years each at University of Maryland and Western Carolina University, where he earned his master's degree in physical education. He added experience with football, women's volleyball and men's and women's track & field.
Duncan completed his Doctor of Athletic Training at A.T. Still University in 2022, publishing his dissertation on Improving Handwashing Practices Among Athletic Trainers.
Dunigan is a double graduate of Ohio University, with a master's in athletic training in May of 2026. While with the Bobcats, she worked with football, swimming & diving and wrestling. Under supervision, she provided athletic training services to over 150 NCAA Division I Football and Swimming & Diving student-athletes, collaborating with other healthcare professionals such as team physicians, physical therapists, dieticians, and other athletic trainers.
She served at a pair of high schools, Nelsonville-York High and Lancaster High in Ohio, working with over 300 student-athletes in football, boy's and girl's cross country, soccer, girl's volleyball, track & field, softball, baseball.
A competitive collegiate athlete herself, Dunigan represented Ohio University in over fifty NCAA Division I swim meets and competed in five Mid-American Conference Championships, earning academic all-conference honors all four years, and First-Team All-Mid-American Conference in 2025.
Luebke, as a master's candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she graduated with an M.S. in athletic training in May 2026, did an immersive rotation at LSU, working under supervision with the Tigers' nationally-ranked gymnastics team.
She also did a clinical rotation at Froedtert And The MCW Sports Medicine Center, and college rotations at Wisconsin Lutheran and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, working under supervision with the teams in volleyball, basketball, track & field.
The Barry athletic training staff is responsible for over 550 student-athletes in 25 varsity programs and two junior varsity/developmental programs. The Bucs have won 29 NCAA Division II national championships in eight different sports, and 117 Sunshine State Conference titles in 14 sports.
