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Athletic Training Room

It is the mission of the Health, Exercise Science and Athletics Department at Southwestern College to provide an Athletic Training facility that creates a fair environment for all student athletes to access the best possible care and prevention of sports related injuries. Each individual athlete will receive the best attention possible.

Training Room

It is the responsibility of the Athletic Training staff and a team physician specializing in orthopedic medicine to monitor approximately 400 student athletes competing on 16 athletic teams. It is the mission of this staff to return our athletes to full participation as quickly and safely as possible.

It is paramount that the Southwestern Health, Exercise Science and Athletics Department prioritize the health and welfare of their student-athletes. Through communication, creativity and innovation, the athletic training staff and team physician collaborate in a team approach in order to meet the needs of the student-athlete. The student-athletes will work with the most educated and proficient certified athletic trainers available.

These athletic trainers are held to the highest standards of their peers as well as the Southwestern College Athletic Department.

The Southwestern College Athletic Training Room is located at the north end of the Health, Exercise Science and Athletics building. It is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm and two hours before game time on weekends. Should your school have any special needs please contact us in advance. Emergency equipment and first aid supplies will be available and a trainer will attend each athletic event. A team physician will be present at all football games. In case of an emergency, Sharp Hospital is within 6 minutes of the Southwestern campus.

Southwestern Training Room	(619) 421-6700 x5348
Campus Police	(619) 482-6380 or Ext 6380
Sharp Hospital	(619) 482-5800
Chula Vista Police	(619) 691-5151
Emergency	911

Athletic Trainers

Dennis Petrucci Athletic Trainer

Dennis Petrucci, ATC

Dennis comes to Southwestern bringing the experience of working at both the Division I and professional levels of sport. He has his A.T.C. (Certified Athletic Trainer from the National Athletic Trainers Association) and C.S.C.S. (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist from the National Strength and Conditioning Association). His resume includes working with countless elite athletes in major sports including: several NFL and NHL players, Men’s and Women’s Olympic soccer athletes, Olympic and professional beach volleyball players as well as being invited to go on tour with Aerosmith by Steven Tyler himself.

Dennis started his athletic training career at San Diego State University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree. He then went on to The Ohio State University to obtain his Master of Arts degree. While at Ohio State he worked with several of the athletic programs including football, hockey and baseball to name a few. After graduating from Ohio State, Dennis moved back to San Diego to work with a minor league professional basketball team, the Stingrays as their Head Athletic Trainer. While there he worked with athletes such as Magic Johnson and Master P. The following year he accepted a position at Pepperdine University where he had opportunities to work with many Olympic level volleyball players and professional beach volleyball players. He then came back to San Diego to be the Head Athletic Trainer for the San Diego Gulls, a minor league professional hockey team. While with the team they won a national championship and he was able to work with many athletes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as they were affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche. During the Gulls off-season Dennis has also worked with several other San Diego area professional teams including the San Diego Spirit, Sockers, Flash and Gauchos. He has also earned a few international “caps” by going on tours as the Head Athletic Trainer for the United States National Rugby team where they play against some of the best teams in the world such as Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. His wealth of experience has been a great benefit to Southwestern College.

He is married to wife Christina and has two daughters, Sienna and Juliet.

Athletic Trainer

Deborah Prouse

Debbie Prouse is a 1999 graduate of Pepperdine University with a bachelor's degree in sports medicine where she played collegiate soccer from 1995-1998. She is also a 2006 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania with a master's degree in exercise science and health promotion. Prouse is certified by the National Athletic Trainer's Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Performance Enhancement Specialist.

Prouse, worked as a certified athletic trainer at Pepperdine University from 2000-2012. Since 2004 Prouse has served as an athletic trainer to the United States Soccer Federation and the US Women's National soccer Team.

Prouse is singe and resides in San Diego.