Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Jan Kiilsgaard is in her 21st year at Southern Arkansas University. Most recently serving as an Instructor in the Human Performance and Sport Sciences Department and as an Assistant Athletic Trainer. Prior to that position Kiilsgaard served as the director of the Athletic Training Education from 2004-2021. As Program Director, Kiilsgaard worked to gain initial accreditation for the Athletic Training Education Program in 2006 and continued accreditation in 2012.

Kiilsgaard also provided clinical coverage for the several of the women’s athletic teams for many years (2003-2015) at SAU, with a primary coverage of the Lady Mulerider Volleyball team. Kiilsgaard earned her MS in sport and exercise sciences from West Texas A&M University (Canyon, Texas) in 2003 as she spent two years as a graduate assistant athletic trainer.

At WTAMU, she was responsible for the health care of the Buffs football and volleyball teams. While with the Lady Buffs volleyball team, WTAMU won the 2002 Lone Star Conference Division Championship (sixth-consecutive) and the LSC Championship (fourth-consecutive) while also finishing the 2002 season in the NCAA Elite Eight quarterfinals hosted at WTAMU. Kiilsgaard also served as a graduate teaching assistant at WTAMU, teaching a variety of classes including Lifetime Wellness, First Aid/CPR, Tennis, and Theory and Practice of Racquet Sports.

In 2002, Kiilsgaard was honored with the Ted Chu Memorial Mentor Award. An alumna of the University of Central Arkansas (2001), Kiilsgaard was first student to graduate from UCA with a B.S. in Athletic Training. While at UCA, Kiilsgaard received the Fletcher B. Lowry Outstanding Kinesiology Major award in 2001 and was the first runner-up in 2000.

A certified athletic trainer, Kiilsgaard received her athletic training certification from the Board of Certification (BOC) in 2001, and holds an athletic training license from the Arkansas State Board of Athletic Training. An active professional, Kiilsgaard has served on the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association executive board from 2009-2022 in a variety of roles. At the district level, Kiilsgaard has served on the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Executive Board from 2018-2022, currently serves on the Student Competency Workshop Committee (since 2012) and served on the Finance Committee from 2010-2014.

Kiilsgaard’s service and dedication to the athletic training profession has not gone unnoticed. Her most recent honor was induction in to the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2022 she was awarded the Frank Medina award and the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award from the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association. Kiilsgaard was also awarded the Dr. Doug Parker Recognition award from the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2018.

Kiilsgaard is a native of Little Rock, AR.