Lynson Willis joined Austin Peay’s athletic training staff as an Associate Athletic Trainer in April 2023 and oversees the men's basketball program. He also assists with the cheer and dance teams.
Willis comes to Clarksville after spending the past four years at Howard, where he most recently served as the Associate Athletic Director of Sports Medicine. During his time in Washington, D.C., Willis helped create and implement policies and procedures to ensure the health and well-being of 550-plus student-athletes. Willis also helped to expand Howards' athletic training staff from zero to seven members while establishing new partnerships to enhance quality care through technology and re-establishing a student-aid program.
Since 2020, Willis also served as COVID-19 testing director and a COVID testing committee member for the Bison.
Before his time at Howard, Willis spent nine years at Saint Francis College, where he began as an assistant athletic trainer before being promoted to associate head athletic trainer in 2018. After being elevated to the associate head athletic trainer for Terriers, Willis mentored the assistant athletic trainers on staff with their teams and cases while also coordinating care with team physicians and collaborating on preventive, corrective, and rehabilitation exercises with the strength and conditioning staff.
During his time in Brooklyn, Willis also served as an athletic trainer for the Brooklyn Italians Soccer Club, the Atlantic 10 Basketball Championship, The Basketball Tournament, and the New York City Department of Education.
Willis began his career in college athletics as a sports medicine volunteer at Saint Francis, where he earned his first bachelor's degree in health promotion and science in 2006. He then worked as an athletic training student at Stony Brook, where he earned his second bachelor's degree in athletic training in 2010. Willis is currently working towards a master's degree in organizational leadership at Manhattan College.
