Ariona Thornton begins her second year at Jackson State as the Head Football Athletic Trainer after joining the program in 2024.
She arrived at Jackson State from Vanderbilt where she served as an athletic trainer with cross country/track and field and as a field term professional. While there, she served as a preceptor for students and was the liaison for visiting teams at home football games. She served as a wellness team member with Sports Nutrition along with Sports Mental Health and Performances departments.
Thornton also assisted with creating, maintaining, and updating EAP and return to play protocols, while also assisting the administration program, pre-participating physicals, echocardiograms, and drug-testing programs. She also assisted with documenting and monitoring injuries in RedCap, Epic, and Smartabase.
Prior to her time at Vanderbilt, Thornton interned with the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 Training Camp. She also served as a graduate assistant at two years working with women's basketball and football at Arkansas State.
Thornton also gained clinical experience at Delaware (2016-21) and Alabama (2020).  Â
Thornton received her bachelor degree in Athletic Training from Delaware State in 2021, with a minor in Sports & Conditioning. She earned her Master of Science in Sports Administration frm Arkansas State in 2023.
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