Veteran athletic trainer Jeff Bray, left, works on Ava Wilburn during a Keuka College women's soccer home game in the fall of 2011.

By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director

Jeff Bray is an avid motorsports fan, and when he arrived in scenic Keuka Park to accept a job as Keuka College’s head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director in the summer of 1992, he figured he was just making a pit stop.

Nearly 20 later, the man who came to campus on a two-year plan can’t imagine working anywhere else.

As he reflects on two decades of dedicated service to the Storm’s student-athletes, Bray can’t help but wonder how he ended up as the second-longest tenured member of the College’s athletics department.

To quote the Grateful Dead anthem, “Truckin’,” what a long, strange trip it has been for Bray.

Born in Sterling, Kansas, a small town that Bray said possesses a similar down-home feel to Keuka, Bray essentially grew up on his parent’s gas station before enrolling in Kansas State to study athletic training.

Bray has taped hundreds of professional athletes during a career that, among other stops, has seen him work the sidelines of NFL games, alongside pit crews for assorted auto racing events across the world, and behind the bucking chutes at top-flight bull riding competitions.

During a four-year stint in the NFL working as an athletic trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles — three as a summer intern and one as a paid professional — Bray taped Hall-of-Famer Reggie White, was part of a team that helped dynamic quarterback Randall Cunningham recover from various knee injuries, and worked alongside talented coaches such as Buddy Ryan, Jeff Fisher and Wade Phillips, to name a few.

Tom Coughlin, the Waterloo native who will lead the NFC champion New York Giants into battle against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Feb. 5, was also a part of those Eagles’ coaching staffs during Bray’s time with the team.

Jeff Bray has worked as an athletic trainer for numerous auto races, including an open wheel race when he met Helio Castroneves, an IndyCar driver and three-time Indy 500 champion.

Bray worked alongside legendary actor/race car driver Paul Newman and the drivers of his Newman/Haas Racing Team when working in the Champ Car Racing Series. Division I schools, including Bray’s alma mater Boise State, have sought his expertise in the field of athletic training, making enticing job pitches in an attempt to land Bray’s services.

But through an athletic training career that has spanned more than three decades — the last two of them spent at Keuka — there is no place Bray would rather call home than picturesque Keuka College.

“One of the reasons it’s been easy to stay here is because Keuka’s just been a good place to be, with good people who provide a great college experience, be it coaches, parents, administrators, or the student-athletes. Coach Dave Sweet has been an outstanding mentor and has taught me all about the world that is Division III athletics,” said Bray, who became interested in physical training after watching his mother, Nettie, battle back from a debilitating stroke when Bray was 15.

“I really appreciate getting to know the families of the student-athletes here. At a Division I school you never really have any dealings with parents. Keuka is special from that standpoint, and as my kids get older that [relationship with the parents] means more to me, because not too far down the road it’ll be me handing my kids off to a college and I’ll want to feel as comfortable sending my kids off to college as the parents of our student-athletes feel when they send their children to Keuka.”

However, that opinion of Keuka took some time to formulate for Bray, who currently resides in nearby Penn Yan with wife, Kristen, and son Tyler, 15, and daughter Kelly, 13.

When Bray was offered the Keuka position, he had his reservations. Sweet, Keuka’s athletic director and head coach of the women’s basketball team, had been on campus for nine years and was working diligently to transform the Storm from a predominantly women’s sports-based program into a well-rounded, co-ed athletics department that produced championship-caliber teams on the playing fields, and accomplished students in the classroom.

Additionally, Bray had only worked with professional and Division I athletes at his previous jobs, and Keuka was a tiny Division III school smack-dab in the middle of rural Upstate New York.

The Storm didn’t even have a football team, a fact Bray felt was a prerequisite for any potential job. He previously had worked passionately with football teams at every stop along the way: from his student athletic trainer days at Kansas State, to his graduate work at Boise State, through his four-year stint with the Eagles, and his time spent as Illinois State’s head football trainer.

In the end, while the decision was Bray’s to make, his future wife Kristen held the ultimate card. She had grown up in the Buffalo area and was a successful basketball player at Canisius College. Even though the couple wasn’t yet married, Bray realized it was important for Kristen to be closer to her family.

So the couple came to an agreement. Kristen and Jeff would relocate and Bray would try out the Keuka position for two years, and if Bray was unsatisfied at the end of the two-year trial period, Kristen would relocate anywhere in the country as her husband searched for his dream job.

Twenty years later and, the rest is history. Bray said he “fell in love” with the job and the students, and while other colleges and universities have called for Bray’s services, the answer has always been the same: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“I had a unique opportunity at a very young age to reach the pinnacle of our profession,” said Bray, who still carves out time in his busy schedule to work between 5-10 auto races a year as an athletic trainer.

“There are thousands of young athletic trainers, student athletic trainers that aspire to work in pro sports, and only a few get there. I had the opportunity and while I enjoyed my time in the pros, long-term I didn’t know if it was for me. After a lot of thinking, when this job became available I took it and while I couldn’t believe I was at this small college with no football, I owed it to Keuka to give it my best. After all these years this is where I’m supposed to be.”

To achieve peace of mind with his decision about his future, Bray turned to an important part of his past, Otho Davis, his mentor in the athletic training field. Davis was the long-time trainer in the NFL who had worked with the then-Baltimore Colts and was Bray’s boss with the Eagles when Bray secured a summer internship to study under the legendary Davis, who at the time was considered among the best trainers in all of professional sports.

Davis, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2000, was instrumental in swaying Bray to take the job with the Storm. While he was the influence who got Bray into professional sports, Davis also warned Bray of the dangers of working in an industry where off days are few and far between and the average work week could range from 80 to 100 hours.

Davis, who had four sons, rarely got to see his family due to the rigors and demands of the job, a factor Bray considered heavily when debating the pros and cons of the Keuka position.

As Keuka's head athletic trainer, Jeff Bray is responsible for attending to all injured players, whether they play for the Storm or the opposition.

In the end, the chance to help deserving Division III athletes won out. Now, fast-forward 20 years and Bray’s presence has become part of the fiber of a student-athlete’s life. Bray and his staff of athletic trainers work all Keuka College sporting events, ready on the sidelines should an injury befall a member of the Storm or the opposition.

“When I’m asked why I’m still at Keuka, ‘I say why not?’ If our point guard, [Jessica Bandrowski], sprains her ankle and is going to potentially miss some big games coming up, she’s as valuable to her team as [Boise State star quarterback] Kellen Moore is to his team,” said Bray, who used his NFL connections to secure the New York Jets old athletic training equipment when the NFL franchise decided to purchase new equipment in 1998.

“Sure, it’s not going to be in the USA Today or make ESPN that Bandrowski sprained her ankle and might miss a game, but she deserves to be treated like a professional athlete, too. But also, if I go to coach Sweet and say Bandrowski can’t play tomorrow, I’m not going to get the screws put to me [to get her ready to play] to the point that my ethics are pushed and her best interests are questioned in order to get a win.”

Bray’s influence on Keuka’s student-body is not limited to the various playing fields for the Storm’s 16 varsity sports teams. Bray also serves as an adjunct instructor and teaches two sports management classes.

Each fall, as part of their senior class projects, Bray’s sports management students organize the annual Storm Madness pep rally, a raucous affair that provides a first look at the men’s and women’s basketball teams to the campus and neighboring communities.

“Jeff has been my right-hand man for all these years, and he is immensely talented and certainly has a lot to offer to any college,” said Sweet, who credits Bray’s communication skills, problem-solving ability, and self-starter mentality as some of his best personality traits.

“He’s tuned-in well with the needs of our student-athletes and understands what we’re trying to accomplish as a small Division III college athletics program. We’re not all about wins and losses; we try to educate the student-athletes on the overall collegiate experience and Jeff has been extremely helpful, not only to the college but to me in particular.”

Applauding Keuka’s unique Field Period as one of the most beneficial aspects of a Keuka education, Bray backs the college’s required annual 140-hour long internship program that offers real-world work experience to students each year they’re on campus.

“Professionally, if you’re trying to get somewhere, don’t always think you’re going to get somewhere on your own,” said Bray, who originally learned of the Eagles’ summer trainer position through Jim Rudd and Hank Fijalkowski, his bosses while Bray was a student athletic trainer at Kansas State.

“There are people that can and will help you if they know where you want to go. I am a firm believer in our Field Period because I lived the internship route, that’s how I got into the NFL. Jim and Hank, my mentors, told me I needed to do an internship in the NFL, and at the time I was probably too stupid to ask questions. But if Otho, Jim or Hank told me to do something, I knew that was what I needed to do. Our students need to get out and have those workplace experiences, but students can’t have a broken want-to. You can’t be the one pushing them; they need the drive and motivation to succeed.”

Throughout the years, Bray’s dedication toward Keuka College and the Storm’s student-athletes has never wavered, and he is just as passionate about his job and this campus as he was July 1, 1992, the day he first reported for duty at Keuka.

“I think you’re missing the boat of life if you’re not passionate about something,” Bray said. “To this day, I’m still doing something I’m passionate about and that’s pretty cool.”

Sophomore Meghan Storie won at second singles and also teamed with Emily Knapsack to win at first doubles during Keuka College’s 6-3 home loss to Pitt-Bradford Thursday.

The Keuka College women’s tennis team scored a season-high three victories during its home match with the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford on Thursday afternoon, but the Storm still fell to the Panthers 6-3.

Sophomore Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, PA/Montgomery) breezed to a 6-3, 6-0 straight sets victory at first singles while sophomore Meghan Storie (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) recorded a win in three sets at second singles for the Storm (0-4). Storie won the first set 6-4, dropped the second set 6-2 but rebounded for a 7-6 (10-2) win in the decisive third set as the Storm claimed points at the top two singles spots.

Keuka also got a win at first doubles, as Knapsack and Storie held on for a 9-7 win, but the Storm suffered straight sets losses at third, fourth, fifth and sixth singles as well as losses at second and third doubles to drop its fourth-straight contest of the fall season.

Keuka’s women’s tennis team is done playing until the spring portion of the schedule, which kicks off with a noon North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) road match against Penn State-Harrisburg on April 1, 2012.

Sophomore Emily Knapsack is one of four returning members of the women's tennis team that earned All-NEAC honors during the 2010-11 season.

While the Keuka College women’s tennis team will feature a small roster with only six women competing for the Green and Gold during the 2011-12 season, the Storm will not be short on experience as it looks to repeat as champions of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC).

Fortunately for head coach Matt Tantalo, while his squad is small, four of the six returners were starters for a Keuka team that captured both the NEAC regular season and postseason tournaments before falling to Castleton State in the NEAC/North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championship match.

The biggest challenge will be replacing the steady game of Megan McGowan, the two-time NEAC Player of the Year who went 9-4 at first singles en route to an 11-4 overall record for the Storm, which compiled a 50-35 record in individual matches and finished the season 8-5 overall and an undefeated 6-0 in the NEAC.

“Losing Megan, our No. 1 player, is a huge loss for this team. She was a guarantee to win two points every match, and she made everyone else around her better,” Tantalo said.

“But we will definitely be competitive in the NEAC, especially with four starters returning. The biggest key for us is to have a No. 1 step up and lead the way for us. We’re pretty young but we have some talented women returning for us.”

All four returners earned spots on the year-ending All-NEAC team, led by junior Kara DeWitt (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes), who compiled a 10-3 overall record and an 8-3 record at sixth singles for the Storm. Sophomores Sarah Schneider (Rushville, NY/Marcus Whitman) and Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, PA/Montgomery) were named to the All-NEAC second team while fellow sophomore Meghan Storie (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) earned a spot on the All-NEAC third-team.

Schneider posted a 7-7 overall record and teamed with DeWitt to post an 8-3 record in third doubles action. Knapsack led the Storm with a 12-3 overall record at singles, including going 11-2 at third singles, and combined with several playing partners to post a cumulative 8-7 record.

Storie went 4-11 overall in singles and teamed with McGowan to go 7-8 overall at first doubles in 2010-11 for the Storm.

Tantalo feels confident that his team can carry over the momentum from the end of last season, when several players, including Storie and Schneider, “played their best tennis of the year” at the NEAC tournament.

“Meghan has good tools and her groundstrokes are solid, she just needs to be more consistent on the court,” Tantalo said.

“Emily is an extremely smart and consistent player who could be our No. 2 singles player; she plays within her skills and knows her limitations. Sarah has the most potential on our team; she has a good skill set, an accurate serve and she’s dominant at the net. … and Kara is extremely consistent and she understands the game very well.”

Additionally, Keuka will look for contributions from freshman Danielle Del Gatto (Naples, NY/Naples) and sophomore Marysa Cooper (Victor, NY/Victor), who played sparingly during her freshman season.

Keuka opens up the 2011-12 season with a 4 p.m. road contest Thursday afternoon against Alfred University. The Storm’s home opener will be Tuesday, Sept. 20 when SUNY Brockport comes to campus for a 4 p.m. clash.

Freshman Emily Knapsack won Keuka's only singles match.

The Keuka College women’s tennis team lost by a score of 7-2 to Castelton State College in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC)/North Atlantic Conference (NAC) tournament championship on Saturday.

The Storm, who won the NEAC Tournament, finish the year 8-5 overall.  Castelton, who won the NAC Tournament, improve to 13-1 overall and will now play in the NCAA Tournament.

Keuka won one doubles match and one singles match.  Sophomore Kara Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) and freshman Sarah Schneider (Rushville, N.Y./Marcus Whitman) won the third flight of doubles for Keuka by a score of 8-6.

Rookie Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, Pa./Montgomery) took the third flight of singles easily by a score of 6-2, 6-1.  Knapsack finished her rookie year with a team-high 12 singles wins, going 12-3 overall.

Senior Megan McGowan was selected as the NEAC Player of the Year.

A day after winning the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Tournament championship, the Storm played well enough in the individual portion of the tournament to land all six players on the All-NEAC teams in both singles and doubles.

Head coach Matt Tantalo was also selected as the NEAC Coach of the Year after leading the Storm a to a perfect 6-0 regular season NEAC record and championship.  Then following it up with the tournament championship.

Leading the players was senior Megan McGowan (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) who was selected as the NEAC Player of the Year for the second time in her career.  McGowan won her first match of singles in the first flight by a score of 6-0, 6-2 before defeating her opponent from Wilson College by a score of 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match.

Joining McGowan on the All-NEAC first team in singles was sophomore Kara Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) in the sixth flight.  Dewitt won 6-1, 6-4 in her first match and then 6-1, 6-3 in the finals.

Freshmen Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, Pa./Montgomery) and Sarah Schneider (Rushville, N.Y./Marcus Whitman) both earned spots on the All-NEAC second team.  Knapsack won her first match in the third flight (3-6, 6-0, 6-0) before dropping a close match in the finals (3-6, 6-3, 6-0).  Schneider followed suit in the fifth flight, winning her first match (7-5, 6-2) before falling in the championship match (6-4, 2-6, 6-3).

Earning spots on the All-NEAC third team were freshman Meghan Storie (Liverpool, N.Y./CNS) and sophomore Brin Benjamin (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle).  Storie dropped her first match in the second flight (6-3, 6-2) before winning (6-1, 6-4) in the consolation match.  Benjamin fell (7-6, 6-1) in flight number four before winning (7-5, 4-6, 14-12) in the consolation match.

In doubles, McGowan and Storie teamed up to earn a spot on the second team.  They won 8-5 before falling in the finals by a score of 8-4.  Dewitt and Schneider joined the pair on the All-NEAC second team after winning its first match 8-3 in the third flight and losing 9-7 in the championship.

Knapsack and Benjamin were selected to the All-NEAC third team in the second flight  after falling 8-6 and then winning their consolation match 8-3.

Keuka will now play Castleton State College this Saturday, May 7 at Tri-City Tennis Club in Latham, NY for the NEAC/NAC Championship.  The match will begin at 11 am.

Senior Megan McGowan helped Keuka make the NCAA Tournament for the second time.

The Keuka College women’s tennis team will now play Castelton State College for the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament championship after winning the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Tournament on Saturday.

The Storm and Castleton will meet in Latham, NY on Saturday, May 7 at the Tri-City Tennis Club beginning at 11 am.

The Storm, who won the conference regular season with a perfect 6-0 record, defeated the No. 4 seeded Phoenix of Wilson College by a score of 5-2 in its first match.  Keuka then defeated No. 2 Penn State-Berks, who defeated No. 3 Penn State-Abington (5-3), by a score of 5-1 in the championship match.

Against Wilson, the Storm won two of the three doubles matches before winning three of the four singles matches that were finished.  Freshman Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, Pa./Montgomery) and sophomore Brin Benjamin (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) won the second flight of doubles (8-6) while sophomore Kara Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) and rookie Sarah Schneider (Rushville, N.Y./Marcus Whitman) took the third flight (8-2).

Senior Megan McGowan (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) won the top flight of singles (6-4, 7-6) as Knapsack won the third flight (6-3, 6-0).  Schneider won the fifth flight by a score of 6-1, 6-2.

In the championship match against Berks, Keuka again won two of the three doubles matches and won all three singles matches that were able to finish.  McGowan and freshman Meghan Storie (Liverpool, N.Y./CNS) won the top flight of doubles (8-1) while Knapsack and Benjamin won the second flight (8-3).

In singles play, McGowan (6-2, 6-1), Storie (7-5, 6-4) and Knapsack (6-0, 6-1) won the top three flights to secure the victory.

Freshman Sarah Schneider helped guide Keuka to a NEAC title.

The Keuka College women’s tennis team captured the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) regular season title with an 8-1 home victory over the Express of Wells College on Thursday.

The Storm finish off their regular season with a perfect 6-0 conference mark and stand at 6-4 overall. Wells falls to 2-7 overall and 2-4 in the conference.

Keuka began the match by sweeping all three flights of doubles. Senior Megan McGowan (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) and freshman Meghan Storie (Liverpool, N.Y./CNS) won top flight 8-6. Sophomore Brin Benjamin (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle) and rookie Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, PA/Montgomery) took the second flight 8-5.  Freshman Sarah Schneider (Rushville, N.Y./Marcus Whitman) and sophomore Kara Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) eased to an 8-1 victory in the third flight. 

The Storm won five of the six singles matches with McGowan finishing off an undefeated conference regular season with a 6-2, 6-0 victory in the top flight. Knapsack won the third flight 6-3, 6-4 while Benjamin won the fourth flight 6-4, 6-1 . Schneider won 6-2, 6-4 as Dewitt was victorious 6-3, 6-0 .

Keuka will next play in the NEAC tournament at Birchwood Tennis Club in Clarks Summit, PA  on April 30th and May 1st .

Senior Megan McGowana (right) and freshman Meghan Storie won their fourth straight doubles match.

The Keuka women’s tennis team defeated the only other undefeated North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) team by a score of 6-3 at home on Sunday with its win over Penn State-Berks.

Keuka now stands at 5-4 overall and 5-0 in the conference.  Berks slips to 8-5 overall and 4-1 in the NEAC.

Keuka won two of the three doubles matches, as senior Megan McGowan (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) and freshman Meghan Storie (Liverpool, N.Y./C-N-S) won the top flight 8-6.  Sophomore Brin Benjamin (Carlisle, Pa/Carlisle) and freshman Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, Pa/Montgomery) took a close second flight 9-8.

The Storm won four of the six singles matches with McGowan again leading the way with a 6-1, 6-1 victory in the top flight.  She now sits at 5-0 in conference matches and 6-3 overall on the season.  Knapsack won the third flight (6-2, 6-0) and Benjamin was the victor in the fourth flight (6-2, 6-4).  Sophomore Kara Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) won the sixth flight (2-6, 6-3, and 10-8).

Keuka will next play host to Wells College this Thursday, April 21 beginning at 4 pm.

Sophomore Kara Dewitt helped Keuka improve to 4-0 in the conference.

The Keuka College women’s tennis team continued its winning ways with an 8-1 victory over the visiting Eagles of the College of St. Elizabeth on Sunday.

The win was the Storm’s fourth straight as they now stand at 4-4 overall and 4-0 in the conference.  St. Elizabeth slips to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the NEAC.

Keuka began the match by winning two of the three doubles matches, the first and third flights.  Senior Megan McGowan (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) and freshman Meghan Storie (Liverpool, N.Y./C-N-S) won the first flight (8-2) while sophomore Kara Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) and freshman Sarah Schneider (Rushville, N.Y./Marcus Whitman) won the third flight by the same score.

Keuka swept all six singles matches with McGowan winning the top flight 6-0, 6-0.  Storie took the second flight 6-2, 6-2 as classmate Emily Knapsack (Montgomery, Pa/Montgomery) won the third flight 6-1, 6-2.  Sophomore Brin Benjamin (Carlisle, Pa/Carlisle) won the fourth flight 6-1, 6-1.  Schneider won the fifth flight 6-0, 6-1 as Dewitt finished off the win with a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the sixth flight.

Keuka will next take on Penn State-Berks at home this Sunday, April 17.

Senior Megan McGowan won both of her matches in the Storm's win.

The Keuka College women’s tennis team secured a close 5-4 win over the visiting Nittany Lions of Penn State-Abington on Saturday. 

The win improves the Storm to 3-0 in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) and 3-4 overall while Abington falls to 0-2 in the conference and 3-4 overall.

Keuka prevailed in the first and third flights of doubles.  Senior Megan McGowan (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) and freshman Meghan Storie (Liverpool, N.Y./C-N-S) won the top flight 9-7 as sophomore Kara Dewitt (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) and freshman Sarah Schneider (Rushville, N.Y./Marcus Whitman) won a close third flight by a score of 9-8.

Leading 2-1 entering singles play, Keuka and Abington each won three matches to give the Storm a 5-4 win.  McGowan improved to 4-3 in singles play on the year with a 6-0, 6-1 win in the top flight.  Schneider won 6-2, 7-5 in the fifth flight as Dewitt sealed the victory with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-0 win in the sixth flight.

Keuka will next take on the College of St. Elizabeth at home this Sunday, April 10 beginning at 1 pm.