The Athletic Department's Sports Medicine dedicated staff focuses on injury prevention, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation that assures a positive, healthy, recovery experience, an improved quality of life, a safe return to full athletic participation and continued athletic success.

It is National Athletic Training Month so meet our amazing Sports Med team!

• Jim Pluemer - Assistant Athletic Director - Sports Medicine 
• Carrie Chamberlain - Certified Athletic Trainer
• Georgia Rieger - Certified Athletic Trainer 
• Hannah Gates - Certified Athletic Trainer 

 

Mike Burns

Supervising Athletic Trainer

19+ Years at UCI

Alma Mater: CSUN

Sports working with: Men's Basketball

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
I was a football player at the University of Nebraska and I hurt my quad, that's when I found out what an Athletic Trainer was. I transferred to Northridge and joined the Athletic Training curriculum program. I was certified in 1996, I worked at a couple of clinics, Kenyon College in Ohio, a 1 year stint at UCI, a couple of years at Stanford and a couple of years at Pepperdine before returning to UCI for the last 19 years.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
Hard to narrow it down to 1 so I am going to give you two. The 2019 Men's Basketball NCAA run and the 2010 Women's Soccer NCAA Sweet 16 run.
 
Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? Also favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area?  The middle of the floor in the Carlos Prietto Sports Medicine Center. Its where I do my best work. Any sports venue on UCI's Campus, I love watching our student-athletes compete.

What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The interpersonal relationships with the student-athletes, coaches, colleagues and administrators.. 

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
Being away from my family.

What is the most rewarding part of the job? 
Solving complex problems to get the student-athletes back to what they love doing.

What/where has been your favorite trip you have taken with a UCI team?
Another tough one so I will give you two. Korea with the men's basketball team in 2018 and Hawaii with women's water polo in 2015.

Who is your favorite professional team? 
Any team a UCI Athlete plays on.
 
What is something no one knows about you? 
It's a secret.

 

Nicole Lopez

Certified Athletic Trainer

9 Years at UCI

Alma Mater: UC Irvine 05', Grad School: Texas Tech University HSC 10'

Sports Working With: Men's volleyball, men's water polo, interim men's tennis

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
 I was a student intern in UC Irvine Sports Medicine Internship program. After working in the athletic training room, I realized that athletic training was going to be my future career. 

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
Winning a national championship with MVB in 2013. Beating #1 Stanford at Stanford with MSOC in 2014. And of course our first men's basketball NCAA Tournament berth in 2015!
 
What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The people that I have met along the way

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
The hours that athletic trainers work sometimes. 

What is the most rewarding part of the job? 
Being able to help our athletes get back onto the court, field, and pool after injury. 

What/where has been your favorite trip you have taken with a UCI team?
I have enjoyed all road trips that I have been on but have a few that stand out: 1) UCLA for the MVB National Championships 2) West Virginia/Georgetown trip with MSOC. My van, may or may not, have gotten separated from the caravan on the way back to the hotel due to wrong directions from the van navigator (one of the players). 3) Provo, UT with MVB. Team snowball fight.

Who is your favorite professional team? 
LA Lakers
 

Mike Metcalfe

Certified Athletic Trainer

3 Years at UCI

Alma Mater: Gustavus Adolphus College (B.A.), Cal State Fullerton (M.S.)

Sports working with: Baseball

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
I learned about athletic training in high school from a computer program our counseling office had that asked about your interests and then gave you some career options. I gave a report on the profession, even though I knew very little about it (my high school did not have an athletic trainer on staff during my years).  At that point, I began looking at colleges in Minnesota that had an accredited program and found a home at Gustavus Adolphus. 

My professional background includes nine seasons with the Los Angeles Angels organization, high school sports coverage around the Twin Cities during off-seasons, college soccer and track at Cal State Fullerton as a graduate assistant, one year in the NBA G-League with the Maine Red Claws, one additional season of professional baseball with the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League before ending up at UC Irvine.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
I haven't been here long enough for many memories. My 2^nd season was cut short due to Covid and we're just part way into my 3^rd season.  I would say my favorite moment so far is being at home in Minnesota in 2018, during the fall/winter season, and working at a high end toy store in this upscale mall in Edina, when my friend from Cal State Fullerton who knows all of our baseball coaches here texted me that Ben Orloff would be contacting me regarding an open baseball position at UCI.  During my job search, I had been wanting to return to Orange County, and obviously this job contained both the location and the sport I preferred to work with. After talking with Ben for a while, it all sounded great and he was on board with trying to get me hired. So, it was a great feeling to find a job!
 
Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? Also favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area? 
I don't have time to explore much of the campus. I like the baseball stadium, though. It's one of, if not the, nicest playing surfaces and stadiums in our conference.  It's good facility to work in.  Favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area would be wherever I'm living.  Currently it's near Great Park and I really like the neighborhoods Irvine has to offer. 
 
What is the best part about working at UCI? 
My coaching staff for baseball is one of the best I've ever worked with in my career.  They're super supportive of me and strive to make my days as good as they can be.  They also really care for their student-athletes and put them first and foremost, ahead of the temporary success of the team, and that makes my job easier because it's less stressful.  They really want their players to succeed off the field, as well as on the field, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
College baseball is in a lot of ways, more challenging than professional baseball. When a player is injured in the minor or major leagues, you can place them on the injured list and call up a replacement player.  We don't have that luxury at the college level. Your team is your team, so if a player is injured, you just replace them with a backup on the roster. It creates more pressure to get them healthy as fast as you can because the effects of an injured player at a specific position can have a domino effect and create issues elsewhere. But again, I have a great coaching staff that helps ease that pressure as much as possible.

What is the most rewarding part of the job and why? 
I enjoy watching them perform at their best on the field and celebrate with their teammates when they have success.  If I didn't care about winning, I wouldn't be doing this job in the first place. 

What/where has been your favorite trip you have taken with a UCI team?
Hawai'i with the baseball team.

Who is your favorite professional team? 
Minnesota Twins/Vikings/Wild/Timberwolves – and also the Los Angeles Angels
 
What is something no one knows about you? 
I've lived in Orange county for 6 years (counting grad school) and I've only gone to the beach once, and that was because my sister and nieces were visiting. 
 

Connie Kuei

Certified Athletic Trainer

1 Year at UCI

Alma Mater: CSUF & University of Oregon

Sports Currently Working With: Women's basketball and women's golf

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
I got started in the profession through my athletic trainer in high school. I sprained my ankle and my coach told me to go see the athletic trainer. She helped manage and rehab my ankle injury and I became interested in the profession from there.

After graduating CSUF, I went to University of Oregon for a grad assistant position while getting my masters. There I worked at Thurston High School my first year and soccer/acrobatics and tumbling my second year. I took a full time position at the high school directly after graduating UO. After a year at the high school I took a position with acrobatics and tumbling at Baylor for 4 years. I ultimately knew I wanted to make my way back to family and friends in California and that's when I noticed UCI had a position open. It felt like perfect timing.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
My favorite UCI moment thus far has been our first post-season game in the Big West Tournament. The game came down to the wire and my heart rate was through the roof. It was very exciting! It helped pulling out the win too.
 
Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? 
To be honest I haven't had much time exploring the UCI campus due to COVID-19. I would say the Bren has been my home the past 6 months so that would probably be my favorite spot
 
What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The best part of working at UCI is the people. I always feel supported by those around me.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
The most rewarding part of my job is being able to watch an athlete compete again after a serious injury. Rehab is a long and arduous process. It is extremely gratifying to see an athlete dedicate hard work and long hours to get back to their goal of competing at a high level.

What/where has been your favorite trip you have taken with a UCI team?
My favorite travel trip was our first travel trip out to UCSB. We stayed at a really nice hotel near the beach and I got to see a beautiful sunset.
 
Who is your favorite professional team? 
USA Women's National Soccer Team
 
What is something no one knows about you? 
Something no one knows about me is I dislike chocolate.
 

Jessica Chaney

Certified Athletic Trainer

Started at UCI in January 2021

Alma Mater: Texas State University, Graduate: Point Loma Nazarene University

Sports Working With: Men's and Women's Track and Field

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
I feel like this profession sort of found me. In high school I dabbled in sports a bit, and after getting a few injuries here and there I became more familiar with the Athletic Trainers at my school. Over time I became more interested in the profession and decided to pursue it in college.

My professional background before coming to UCI: Varsity Spirit covering cheer and dance competitions\camps and Point Loma Nazarene University covering Women's Cross Country and Women's Track and Field

What brought me to UCI: I wanted to come back to Southern California, so when I saw the opportunity to be a part of the UCI Sports Medicine team, I had to apply.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
N|A.... yet, hoping to build some memories and moments here at UCI.
 
Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? Also favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area? 
My favorite place on UCI campus is the balcony right outside Prietto Sports Medicine Center because I like to bird watch when we have down time.

I'm still exploring Newport\Irvine, so I don't really have a favorite place in town yet.

What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The people.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
How busy it can get, sometimes I wish there were more of me.

What is the most rewarding part of the job and why?
Seeing my athletes return to doing what they love after injury.

What/where has been your favorite trip you have taken with a UCI team?
I have only taken one trip with my team so far, but I hope to build some fun memories soon.
 
Who is your favorite professional team? 
New Orleans Saints
 
What is something no one knows about you? 
I have never had coffee before.