Phone: 803-821-2258 | Fax: 839-205-1484 | Email: [email protected]

One of South Carolina’s premier high school sports medicine programs, PANTHER Sports Medicine was established in 1997 with the mission to prevent, evaluate, treat, and rehabilitate injuries incurred by Pelion High School and Pelion Middle School athletes. Over the last 20 years the program has grown from a single athletic trainer (AT) with 3 student aides (ATSA) to the current staff of 3 athletic trainers and 16 athletic training student aides. Working closely with team physicians at Prisma Health Orthopaedics, the staff serves over 500 athletes at PHS/PMS, providing event coverage and treatment sessions each day for Pelion athletes, including post-operative rehabilitation. During the 2017-2018 school year more than 500 injuries were evaluated and treated in the Pelion High School Athletic Training Room, ranging from minor sprains and strains to fractures and dislocations, concussions and 7 surgery-requiring injuries. PANTHER Sports Medicine has been on the cutting edge of improvements in care for high school athletes, as it was the first high school sports medicine program to purchase/implement an AED program (2001) and the first to purchase/implement ImPact Concussion Testing (2008).

Pelion Sports Medicine Staff

ZACH RICHARDS, MS, LAT, ATC HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER

Zachery Richards was named the head athletic trainer at Pelion High School in July of 2019. Prior to his arrival at Pelion Zach spent a year as an assistant athletic trainer at White Knoll High School under the direction of Sheila Gordon.

Richards began his professional career at Iona College In New Rochelle, NY. At Iona College, he was the head athletic trainer for the men’s soccer team and baseball team. There, he helped implement and develop policy and procedure manuals and developed an increase in the safety of student athletes.

In 2015, Zach was a graduate assistant for the University of South Carolina as the head athletic trainer for the softball team for one year, followed by a year at Gray Collegiate Academy. Since then, Zach has worked for Palmetto Health USC Orthopedic Center as the head athletic trainer for Brookland-Cayce High school before he joined Lexington District One.

Zach received his Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training from Springfield College followed by his Masters of Science in Advance Athletic Training from the University of South Carolina.

Zach and his wife, Krista, are excited about the opportunities the community has given them, and Zach looks forward to the opportunity to provide quality health care to the student athletes of Pelion High School.

Andrew Ditch, LAT, ATC ASSISTANT ATHLETIC TRAINER

Andrew is a Lexington County School District One graduate from White Knoll High School, where he was extensively involved in their sports medicine program. Andrew graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training and is currently pursuing his Masters’s Degree from Liberty University in Exercise Science. Andrew was employed by PRISMA Health Orthopedic Center where he provided care for athletes within the rehabilitation clinic and athletes at Dutch Fork High School. Andrew is excited for the opportunity to teach students and provide healthcare for the Pelion High School community.

Christopher Buck, LAT, ATC PRISMA HEALTH ATHLETIC TRAINER

Chris joined the Prisma Health team in 2023. Returning to Columbia after 2 years working as the Head Athletic Trainer at Bloomingdale High School. He is currently the outreach athletic trainer at Pelion High School. Chris is originally from Germany and moved around the world for most of his life. After moving to Texas, he earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Chris then went on to work as a intern athletic trainer at Newberry College before moving down to Florida and starting his job at Bloomingdale High School. Chris is married to his wife Kayla and has 3 dogs. Outside of work he enjoys playing golf, working out, and spending time with his wife and family.

FRANK NOOJIN, MD TEAM PHYSICIAN, PRISMA HEALTH ORTHOPEDICS

Frank Noojin, MD is entering his 24th year as a team physician for PANTHER Sports Medicine. Dr. Noojin is an orthopaedist with Prisma Health Orthopedics in Columbia/Lexington specializing in sports medicine and general orthopaedics. He earned his MD from the University of Alabama, completed his residency at the University of Louisville Hospital in Kentucky, and completed a fellowship with the Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Mississippi. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. In addition to Pelion, Dr. Noojin also serves as a team orthopaedist for Newberry College and several other Columbia area high schools and middle schools including Spring Valley, Westwood, and Lugoff-Elgin.