Southwestern Athletics & Ascension Texas Enter into Three-Year Agreement

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Today, Southwestern University's Athletic Department and Ascension Texas announced a three-year agreement extending from 2024-2027. Through the agreement, Ascension Texas will provide sports medicine and athletic training services for Southwestern's student-athletes at sporting events, as well as the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions outside of the field of play. The comprehensive sports medicine services will ensure that Southwestern's student-athletes can achieve their performance goals and remain safe as they compete at the highest level. Ascension Texas will also have branding elements placed throughout Southwestern's athletic facilities and fan engagement opportunities to enhance the visibility of Ascension Texas for student-athletes, parents, fans and prospective students.

"We are thrilled to be joining with Ascension Texas to provide best-in-class service to our students. The resources and expertise provided by Ascension is helping us craft one of the most comprehensive sports medicine structures in all of Division III. We are looking forward to growing and expanding the partnership in years to come," states Ken Ralph, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Southwestern.
"We are honored to work directly with Southwestern University's nationally renowned athletic department and deliver incredible care to all of their student athletes," said Adam Bauman, Vice President of Orthopedic, Sports & Rehabilitation Services, Ascension Texas. "This new relationship directly aligns with our mission of providing high-quality sports medicine services to the greater central Texas community."
Southwestern University Athletics competes in NCAA Division III and is home to over 500 student-athletes and twenty varsity athletic programs. With a population of just under 1,500 students, Southwestern student-athletes comprise one-third of the population at the university. The Pirates are primary members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference as well as affiliate members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Athletic Association. The Athletic Department will transition all programs to the Southern Athletic Association for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Ascension Texas' Sports and Event medicine team focuses on partnerships across Central Texas to promote and facilitate family-centered, health-and-wellness minded lifestyle throughout Central Texas. The Ascension Texas care team works together to provide onsite injury evaluation, injury prevention, and care to individuals and small groups in middle school, high school, college, professional sports and clubs. The care teams coordinate and deliver comprehensive medical coverage to provide a safe environment for both sports or events.
About Southwestern University Athletics
Southwestern University is the first institution of higher learning in Texas and was established in 1840. Southwestern University has an illustrious history in intercollegiate athletics dating back to the late 1800's. The Pirates have competed in NCAA Division III since 1992 and in those thirty-two years have won numerous conference championships, named All-Americans, conference Player of the Years, and gained national tournament appearances at the NCAA level. Colleges and universities in Division III place a high priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and seeks to establish and maintain an environment in which a student-athlete's athletic activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athletes educational experience.

About Ascension Texas
In Texas, Ascension operates Ascension Providence in Waco and Ascension Seton, which includes Dell Children's Medical Center, the region's only comprehensive children's hospital and pediatric Level I trauma center, and Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, the region's only Level I trauma center for adults. Ascension Seton partners with Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin and shares a common vision of transforming healthcare through a focus on quality and value. Serving Texas for more than 120 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., operating 2,600 sites of care - including 139 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities - in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org and www.dellchildrens.net.