Sheri Walters | Coordinating Injury Prevention

Sheri Walters’ journey to Director of Sports Medicine at Texas A&M University reflects a career defined by innovation, collaboration, and comprehensive integration. Walters discusses the "arms race" in collegiate athletics and how Texas A&M shatters silos through unit alignment and being intentionally present. Drawing from her EXOS experience, she highlights the impact of integrating sports medicine with strength and conditioning. Walters employs research-based cross-body training to maintain strength, prioritizing long-term rehabilitation over limb symmetry index testing. She explains how her Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) and Certified Performance and Sport Scientist® (CPSS®) credentials enable her to elevate rehabilitation and speak the language of sport performance professionals. Walters underscores the importance of getting student-athletes back to team strength and conditioning as soon as tissues can tolerate it to promote physiological and psychological healing. She also shares how strength and conditioning coaches can optimize return to performance and reduce reinjury risk.

Email Sheri at swalters@athletics.tamu.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

Catch Sheri’s session on bridging the gap in the collegiate setting LIVE at the 2025 NSCA Coaches Conference! Register to watch online at NSCA.com/Coaches.

Fascinated by the intersection between strength and conditioning and sports medicine? Join other professionals in the Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation Specialist Interest Group (SIG) to discover more resources and engage in discussion.

Show Notes

“The goal is to keep them as strong as possible on the uninvolved side, and then likewise, upper body. I don't want to be rehabbing a lower body injury and then turn around next season having to rehab an upper because we didn't maintain that strength. Those are all things that very early on, the strength coach can take. It helps from a physiological healing standpoint. It also helps from a psychological standpoint to be back with their team and doing a lot of their normal activities. By maintaining my CSCS, by getting my CPSS, it's helped me to be able to speak the same language as those professionals, and then ultimately, get the best outcome for our student athletes.” 8:25
“We can make sure the tissue can tolerate the load, and then as soon as possible, integrate it back in. So for us, it's very critical that we're working very early on with the strength and conditioning coach to make that transition.” 17:00
“I always encourage students pursuing strength and conditioning coaching careers to do is to get into a training room, connect with members of the sports medicine team and profession. They may do that as athletes before they become a strength coach, but especially for those who maybe don't have a high-level athletic experience, connecting with sports medicine professionals is extremely valuable.” 20:20