Arielle Hachtel
Arielle Hachtel is a Certified Athletic Trainer with approximately six years of clinical experience across collegiate, professional, and community sports medicine settings. She currently serves as Head Athletic Trainer for the Milwaukee Milkmen professional baseball organization, where she is responsible for comprehensive athlete healthcare including injury assessment, rehabilitation programming, injury prevention, hydration management, wound care, and emergency response during practices and games. Arielle earned her Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Carroll University in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that required significant adaptability as she navigated the challenges of beginning her career while sports programs and clinical opportunities were rapidly changing.
Her professional journey has been highly diverse and nontraditional. Early in her career, Arielle completed an internship working with the women’s softball program at Western Kentucky University before pandemic-related sports shutdowns forced her to pivot into emergency healthcare, where she worked for approximately five to six months in a Level 1 Trauma Center emergency room to maintain employment while continuing to build her clinical skill set. When athletic training positions reopened, she joined a junior college athletic program in the Milwaukee area, where she spent three and a half years helping build the athletic training services from the ground up. During that time, she provided care for 10 to 12 sports simultaneously, often traveling between multiple practice and competition sites to provide on-site care, develop injury prevention programs, and establish consistent sports medicine communication systems for coaches and athletes.
Today, in addition to her role with the Milwaukee Milkmen, Arielle continues to expand her impact across multiple sports organizations, including assisting with the Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer team during her off-season and providing per diem athletic training services for professional women’s volleyball through Athletes Unlimited. She is contracted through Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital and remains deeply committed to athlete development, performance care, and mentorship. Arielle is particularly passionate about supporting the next generation of athletic trainers, especially young women entering a traditionally male-dominated field, inspired by the female athletic trainer who mentored her during high school. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time with family and traveling, which allows her to maintain a strong work-life balance while continuing to explore new places and experiences. She values the variety of her work across different teams, cultures, and athlete populations, and finds fulfillment in building long-term connections with athletes who recognize her both in competition settings and in their local communities.
• BOC Certified Athletic Trainer
• Certificate in Dry Needling (ADN-Cert)
• Licensed Athletic Trainer
• Carroll University - BS, Athletic Training/Trainer
• National Athletic Training Association
• Wisconsin Athletic Training Association
• Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS)
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my support system has been absolutely key to my success. My family, my friends, my coworkers, and my mentors have all played such an important role in getting me to where I am today. Without all of them supporting me along the way, I honestly don't know where I'd be. I know a lot of people can say that, but for me it's very, very true. I also think that if I was just doing this on my own without my employers or my athletes, I don't think I would be anywhere or have gained the knowledge that I have. Recognizing the people that have helped me get to where I am is very important to me.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women entering athletic training to not back down and fight for what you want. This is a very male-dominated field, and you're going to be put in situations as a woman that you don't want to be in - unfortunately, that is the way that the world is. But it's so important to have a voice and speak up. I try to set my interns and students up for success by teaching them to set boundaries and command respect, because a lot of times you'll be the only female in the room. I've seen firsthand how people will go to an older male athletic trainer just because he's a guy who's been doing it for a while, even when a younger woman might have more current knowledge. Don't let that ego or disrespect hold you back. Be humble, be willing to learn from anyone regardless of their experience level, and always put your athletes first. If you can find something that works for your patients, use it, whether it came from a 20-year veteran or an intern who just learned it in class. Stay true to yourself, be confident in who you are, and fight for the health and fairness of your athletes. If I can reach out and speak up, maybe it'll help encourage and motivate other young women to aim high and do something outside the box or something they're afraid to do.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge I see right now is having respect as a female athletic trainer in a male-dominated field. A lot of people in this field are older males who are set in their ways, and I've seen it firsthand where people will just go to them because they're a guy who's been doing it for a while, even though science is constantly evolving and there are new, better approaches being developed all the time. Young women are often overlooked simply because of being female and younger, even when we might have more current knowledge. On the opportunity side, I think people are finally starting to realize and give women's sports a chance as the years go on. I would love to get more involved in the pro women's volleyball world and help build women's sports from the ground up to make them bigger, as they should be. There's a real opportunity now to get on that platform and advocate for women's sports and women professionals in athletic training. It's about being trusted and respected regardless of gender, and being willing to collaborate and learn from anyone - whether that's a peer, a mentor, or even an intern - because it's all about what works best for the athletes.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family is absolutely huge to me - it's one of my most important values both personally and professionally. I also value staying loyal to my true self and being confident in who I am. I'm not going to back down when I need to fight for what's right, especially when it comes to the health and fairness of my athletes. Honesty and integrity are really important to me as well. I would say I'm very humble in the fact that I don't have a problem asking for advice or help if I'm stuck on something, because in the athletic training world, it's all about connections and collaboration. I'm motivated to always do what's best for my patients and clients, even if that means setting aside my ego and learning from someone else. Being respected and trusted matters to me, but I also believe in giving that same respect to others regardless of their experience level.