Katie Barker

Position: Athletic Trainer Alma Mater: West Florida, 2008

Katie Barker begins her first season as an interim assistant athletic trainer on the Southern Miss athletic training staff. She is responsible for the athletic training coverage of the Lady Eagle basketball program and men's tennis.

Prior to taking her current position, Barker served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for cross country and track and field while assisting with football for the past two years. She also served as head athletic trainer for the Brett Favre 7-on-7 Elite Camp, softball camps and the USM club rugby games.

A native of Pensacola, Fla., Barker completed her master's degree in sports coaching education at Southern Miss in 2011 and is currently working on her PhD at Southern Miss in Higher Education Administration, with a minor in college student personnel.

Barker graduated cum laude from West Florida in 2009 with a bachelor's of science in athletic training. While there, she worked with the Argonauts as a student athletic trainer with women's soccer, softball and rugby club teams. She currently holds a Board of Certification in Athletic Training and is a state of Mississippi Licensed Athletic Trainer.

As a standout athlete at Pensacola Catholic High School, she earned four letters in basketball. She earned all-conference and all-state honors in helping her team advance to the final four in Class 2A state championships. She is the daughter of Richard and René Barker.