By Isabella Rubis
As a Physical Therapist and First Assistant Athletic Trainer for Real Salt Lake, Katie Kuykendall has turned a lifelong passion into a profession, one where her love for sports and dedication to athlete care come together in a powerful way. Early on, it became clear that sports medicine was more than an interest for her; it was a career she wanted to pursue.
"Sports have always been a part of my life. I started playing soccer when I was three, and by middle school I was doing everything, volleyball, track, cross country, and soccer. With all those sports came injuries, so I ended up in physical therapy a lot. That’s when I realized it was a career option. Before that, I didn’t even know what PT was, but once I saw it up close, I thought, ‘This is cool. I want to do this someday.’” She remembers.
Kuykendall earned her bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Hardin-Simmons University before going on to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the prestigious Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Further cementing her expertise, she is also a board-certified Sports Clinical Specialist in physical therapy, an achievement that highlights her dedication to excellence in athlete care.
Her hands-on role with Real Salt Lake gives Kuykendall the opportunity to get to know each player individually and tailor her treatment plans to their specific needs and skill sets. She personalizes every rehab and physical therapy program to ensure it fits the athlete, not the other way around.
“It has always been important to me to not just be cookie-cutter and use the same few exercises on everyone, because every player is different and may need different things to get them back out on the pitch,” she says.
For Kuykendall, working in professional sports isn’t just a career, it's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Every day, she gets to blend her love for soccer with her passion for sports medicine, a path she’s followed since college.
“I think what I selfishly love most is I just get to keep doing what I love,” she says. “I went to college to work in sports medicine and play soccer, and now here I am, doing sports medicine for a professional soccer team.”
Whether she’s leading on-field rehab sessions or drawing on her experience as a former player to guide recovery plans, Kuykendall is living out the very goal she set for herself years ago helping athletes stay on the pitch, while staying close to the game she loves.
A Lasting Legacy: Kuykendall’s Hall of Fame Honor at Hardin-Simmons University
Kuykendall earned her degree from Hardin-Simmons University, a small Division III school in Abilene, Texas. She explained that the main reason she chose to attend was because of its standout soccer program.
“It’s an incredible program, and my sister played there actually, so that was kind of the main draw, I wanted to play with my sister.”
Although she always knew she loved the game, Kuykendall wasn’t sure that college soccer, at least at the Division I level, was the right path for her. Competing in Division I often turns a sport into a full-time commitment, where the game becomes a student-athlete's entire life. For Kuykendall, education was just as important. That made Division III and the opportunity to play alongside her sister feel like the perfect fit.
Along with a great soccer program, Hardin-Simmons has an incredible athletic training program which she had known was the path she had hoped to take. Kuykendall was allowed to enroll even though she was an athlete.
“Typically they don’t let you be an AT major if you are an athlete because it can be too much to manage both but, they were really flexible and helped me make it work.”
Throughout her years at Hardin-Simmons, Kuykendall continued to grow both on and off the field, gaining valuable knowledge in her academic program that helped propel her to where she is today. Just as impressively, she made a lasting mark on the soccer field, breaking the school record for assists with 84. Over her four-year career, she also scored 47 goals, earned All-American honors three times, was named First Team All-Conference all four years, claimed Conference Offensive MVP twice, and capped off her senior season as the D3soccer.com National Forward of the Year. After all of those impressive stats, her favorite soccer accolade and memory was when she had the winning assist in the 2010 National Championship game.
With a soccer resume like that, it was only a matter of time before her name would be etched into Hardin-Simmons history forever. And on October 3rd, Kuykendall did just that at her Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“I flew back to Texas and spent a few days in Abilene. We had a banquet on Friday night where they did the induction ceremony and we got to give speeches which was really cool.”
Being inducted into a college Hall of Fame is one of the highest honors an athlete can receive, a testament not only to individual talent, but to lasting impact and for Kuykendall, the recognition speaks volumes about the legacy she left behind at Hardin-Simmons. The weekend was a celebration of that legacy, dedicated to honoring both Kuykendall and the men’s soccer inductee for their remarkable contributions to the university’s soccer programs.
“On Saturday it was homecoming on campus so we went to the football game and had a big pregame ceremony in front of the whole crowd.” The weekend also featured both men’s and women’s soccer matches which were initially supposed to be away games but, “once the opposing teams heard that weekend was the HOF induction weekend they were kind enough to agree to have the games at home for us so we could be there. We even got to be honorary team captains and do the coin toss so that was pretty special.”
Kuykendall’s induction into the Hardin-Simmons Hall of Fame is a well-deserved tribute to her incredible talent, dedication, and impact on the program. It’s a milestone that celebrates not just her outstanding college career, but also the relentless work ethic and mentality that have carried her into success at the professional level.
Athletic Trainer by Day, Life Saver by Moment
The relentless care and pride Kuykendall has for her job was on full display on Sunday, September 21st when Real Salt Lake traveled to Los Angeles to take on LAFC. As she sat on the bench during the game, a ball came flying out of bounds and into the stands. Kuykendall recalls looking over to make sure no fans had been hit as the ball barrelled into the stands.
“It was such a random and lucky moment, the ball flew out of bounds and was coming in pretty hot so I just turned towards the crowd to see if it had hit anyone and I just happened to look down and see some people panicking. I was wondering what was going on and then I saw this woman and her face was turning blue. She was clearly choking.”
As the woman’s husband was trying to help her and give her the heimlich Kuykendall could tell their kid was starting to freak out, she went to tap RSL’s head athletic trainer when she realized
"Oh wait, I can handle this.”
Kuykendall jumped up and ran to assist the woman who was choking. She remembers getting a good hold on her and starting to do the himlich, with one good push the woman started to cough which was a great sign as it meant she was now getting air again and whatever was in her throat had been dislodged.
“It took her a few minutes to recover but then I looked over as the game continued and could tell she was having a good time, laughing and eating again so that was great to see” Kuykendall remembered.
Kuykendall is undeniably a hero for saving that woman’s life, a moment that could have turned a fun family outing disastrous. But if you ask her, she’ll tell you it feels like just a small moment.
“I know it’s a big thing and I’m so happy I was there to help her,” she says, “but I think of the people working in hospitals, doctors, nurses and EMTs who save lives and do things like that and more every single day, multiple times a day.”
The moment was an adrenaline rush but, putting it into the perspective of what other healthcare workers go through every day helped her to calm down. Her humility only adds to the incredible impact of her actions and is just another reason why trainers and medical staff like Kuykendall are imperative to sporting events.
Although physical therapists aren’t typically on the sidelines doing the emergent things, Kuykendall's role at Real Salt Lake is more hybrid with her assisting in both physical therapy and athletic training. The hybrid nature of her role requires the fast thinking and action seen in LA.
“When I’m on the sideline, I do think about what I would do in an emergency situation and how I could help. As healthcare providers, we’re required to take a CPR course every two years and learn all kinds of life-saving measures, and I had just completed my recertification a couple of months ago so everything was still very fresh in my mind. But in a moment like that, a big part of it is just going for it and not overthinking.”
Kuykendall has had a remarkable few weeks, earning one of the highest honors an athlete can receive with her induction into the Hardin-Simmons Hall of Fame, a testament to her excellence on the pitch. But, she showed that her impact goes far beyond the game, stepping up in a life-or-death moment to save someone’s life. It’s a powerful reminder that her leadership, composure, and heart prove how lucky RSL is to have her on its staff.
Medical staff like Kuykendall play a crucial, often underappreciated role in the world of sports. While fans may focus on goals, stats, and highlight reels, behind the scenes, athletic trainers are constantly working to keep athletes safe, healthy, and performing at their best. They are the first responders on the field, equipped not only to treat sprains and strains but to handle life-threatening emergencies when every second counts. Their presence ensures that injuries are not just treated, but prevented through proper planning, conditioning, and care.
As Kuykendall puts it,
“I feel like ATs are such a behind-the-scenes type job. People see us, but the stereotype is just ice packs, water bottles, and taping ankles. They don’t always see how much work goes into all the planning and prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.”
In reality, athletic trainers are trained in a wide range of critical skills, especially emergency management.
“That’s a big reason we’re around so if something big goes down, we can step in to save someone, because getting EMTs or an ambulance onto the field can take a long time.”
It’s a profession filled with purpose and impact, and as Kuykendall encourages anyone looking into the profession to go for it.
Kuykendall is a prime example of the impact women are making in sports not just through excellence, but through leadership, innovation, and a deep commitment to athlete care. As a trailblazer in her field, she continues to raise the standard, and her passion for what’s ahead at Real Salt Lake is clear.
“What excites me here at RSL is I feel like the people we have on staff are very forward-thinking,” she says. “We’re trying to find ways to recreate our department and push the boundaries to get more into injury prevention.”
With a significantly lower injury rate than in seasons past, Kuykendall and her team are already seeing results and they’re just getting started. The medical staff has been working throughout the season and will continue in the offseason to maximize performance for each guy and maximize recovery to continue to reduce injury rates. Her drive, vision, and dedication to the athletes she serves make her not just a standout in her profession, but a powerful example of the bright future women are building in sports.
