Elevate led the search
William & Mary announced today that Lindsey Brinza has been hired as the new Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine. Brinza will oversee the health and wellness of the Tribe's 500+ student-athletes across 23 sports.
Brinza is the Assistant Athletics Director—Head Athletic Trainer of Olympic Sports at West Virginia University (WVU). She joined the WVU staff in 2022 as the Associate Director for Sports Medicine for women's soccer and women's tennis and was promoted to her current position in 2024 and works with volleyball. She has coordinated the search process and hiring of 11 staff members and has oversight of nine Olympic Sports athletic trainers that cover 14 sports.
"We are delighted to add Lindsey to the Tribe Athletics team," says Brian D. Mann, Director of Athletics. "Lindsey has a wealth of experience in sports medicine, which is so important as we launch a new model of care thanks to a restructuring of our Sports Medicine department. Plus, as a former student-athlete, she has the personal knowledge of what best serves our student-athletes in the health and fitness realm, and what prepares them to do things beyond sports."
Brinza, who will join the Tribe on May 10, is a veteran in the sports medicine field and embraces a model that integrates strength and conditioning, and sports psychology. "William & Mary is a wonderful opportunity, and I am excited to work with Tribe Athletics. Brian Mann really respects and understands what sports medicine does for student-athletes. I am very grateful that I can continue to grow at such a great institution with supportive staff, plus live in such a wonderful community," she said.
Brinza's responsibilities include many of those held by Dr. Virginia Wells, who retired at the end of 2025 after more than 20 years at the University. "Dr. Wells is one of a kind and we are thankful for her many outstanding contributions to the Tribe," said Mann. "During her years of service, she had such a positive impact on thousands of student-athletes and she built relationships that continue to this day. We are very fortunate that she laid the groundwork for the department to continue its critical mission of meeting the ever-evolving physical and mental health needs of our young athletes." W&M will also expand its partnership with VCU Health to ensure its student-athletes have all the coverage they need.
Prior to her tenure at WVU, Brinza was at the University of Wisconsin from 2016-20 where she worked with a variety of sports to provide daily care to Badger student-athletes. She also helped develop and implement Wisconsin women's soccer ACL preventative program.
Earlier in her career she had stints at Lincoln Memorial University (2015-16), Appalachian State University (2012-2015) and Miami University (Ohio).
Brinza grew up in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where she was a student-athlete in soccer and ice hockey who suffered many injuries. "While going through several injuries in my career, I learned about the profession of athletic training and how valuable an athletic trainer can be for the recovery from injury for a student-athlete. I wanted to become a go-to person for the student athletes while also fostering an environment for the student-athletes to grow as young adults as well as an athlete," she said. She earned her bachelor's degree in athletic training from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2010 and as a graduate assistant at Miami (Ohio), earned her master's degree in 2012 in sport studies with an emphasis in sport behavior and performance.
Brinza and her husband Billy have a two-year-old daughter, Jersey, and are excited about the move to Williamsburg. She and her family are looking forward to taking advantage of the numerous outdoor activities the area offers. "We love to be outside in nature, whether it's hiking or a trip to the beach, we're ready!"
