NDA’s Athletic Training Department switched from Prevea Sports Medicine to Bellin Sports Medicine this summer. 

For many of the athletes who worked with Tracy Vanderloop, she is still here, but we have also welcomed a new smiling face, Dakota Kraintz. 

Kraintz spent two years as the Athletic Trainer at Xavier in Appleton before coming to NDA. 

“My time at Notre Dame has been great so far,” she shared. 

She has been settling in well and is enjoying getting to know everyone. 

Kraintz is not from the area. She grew up in North Fond du Lac and got her degrees from UW-Stevens Point. 

“I loved my time there,” said the trainer. 

She is most excited about the change over to Bellin and getting to work at another Catholic school. 

“It really feels like a community, and I am excited to be a part of it,” said Kraintz. 

Vanderloop graduated from Kaukauna in 2006 and attended Carroll University to get her Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training with a minor in Psychology

“In high school, I played golf for four years, basketball for one year, and track and field for two years,” said Vanderloop. 

She worked for two years as a part-time athletic trainer at Arrowhead, Kettle Moraine, Mukwonago, New Berlin West, New Berlin Eisenhower, Waukesha West, Waukesha North and Waukesha South High Schools, right out of college. 

For the past 10 years, she was at New Berlin Eisenhower High School. 

“During 8th grade and freshman year of high school, while playing basketball, I kept dislocating my kneecap and as a result of this, I spent a lot of time with the high school athletic trainer and became interested in athletic training and physical therapy,” she shared. 

Throughout high school, she continued to hang out in the athletic training room and helped as a student athletic trainer during her senior year of high school. 

She started school going for physical therapy but after three years decided that her passion was athletic training. 

“I switched majors and added 2.5 years onto my schooling,” said the trainer. 

She loves having to “‘investigate’ the injury” versus knowing what is wrong most of the time with post-op patients or the ones referred by doctors. 

“I also love the game-day coverage/atmosphere, especially during the playoffs when you experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with every sport, at any given time,” she said. 

She loves it here at Notre Dame. She loves how competitive all the sports are and how welcoming everyone is. 

“It felt like home from the first day that I started here,” she said.

The shift from Prevea to Bellin has been a challenge in the first two months with learning a new company and their expectations, as well as starting the fall sports. 

Vanderloop feels that now she can offer more guidance on what doctors to go see rather than just leaving it up to the parents to decide.