Hired in August, Mark Pocinich MS, ATC is the new Head Athletic Trainer for the 49ers. Pocinich spent the past seven years as an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Southern California. During his time at USC Pocinich worked with the Trojan football, men's basketball, baseball, women's water polo and crew squads. He collaborated with staff on the design and management of the new athletic training facility in the Galen Center and he and his staff served as the host medical team for the Pac 10 Men's Basketball Tournament (2003-07). Prior to his time at USC, he spent two years as an assistant trainer at Eastern Washington. A 1996 graduate of San Diego State with a degree in athletic training, Pocinich earned his Master's degree in sports medicine in 1998 at the University of Oregon.

Shauna Horton, MS, ATC is in her third year at LBSU but her first as an Assistant Athletic Trainer. Her first two years she was a graduate assistant athletic trainer and completed her Master of Science degree in Sports Medicine and Injury Studies. A native of the North Bay Area of California, Shauna started at Santa Rosa Junior College and then went on to Fresno State University to receive her B.S. in Sports Medicine in 2003. After graduation she was a physical therapy aide and athletic trainer at Sierra Pacific Orthopaedic Center in Fresno. Shauna was also an intern for the San Francisco Giants minor league affiliate the Fresno Grizzlies. She was an athletic trainer at Florida Atlantic University, USA Junior Olympic Baseball, and Perfect Game Baseball in South Florida. Last summer Shauna was an athletic training intern with the Cincinnati Reds at their minor league facility in Sarasota, Florida. Her primary responsibility at LBSU is to provide daily care, injury prevention and management, and rehabilitation for the Dirtbag Baseball team.

Entering his first year at Long Beach State as a graduate assistant trainer is Justin Shibel. Shibel comes to Long Beach from Cal State Northridge, where he eared his Bachelor's degree in kinesiology, with an emphasis in athletic training. While at CSUN, he worked primarily with the Matador baseball team. During the summer of 2006 he interned with the San Fernando Quakes, a professional development league soccer team. This past spring during his final year of undergraduate education, Shibel interned with the track and field team at the University of Southern California. As a graduate assistant, Shibel will be studying in sports medicine and injury studies at Long Beach State.