Pepperdine athletic trainer Derek Asilo poses on the beach for Pepperdine Women’s Soccer Team’s Media Day in August 2022. Asilo said it has been a blessing to serve as an athletic trainer at Pepperdine University. Photo courtesy of Roger Horne
Transparency Item: Shelby Little is a member of the Women’s Soccer team.
Members of the Women’s Soccer team at Pepperdine said they view Athletic Trainer Derek Asilo as much more than just a staff member.
Through his career as an athletic trainer at Pepperdine, Asilo has helped transform the University’s athletic department and the athletes who are a part of it, Women’s Soccer senior defender Trinity Watson said.
Asilo returned home from his last road trip with the team on Oct. 23, 2022. He recently accepted a job offer from San José State, where Asilo said he will continue his career as an athletic trainer.
“The Women’s Soccer team at Pepperdine is my first team I worked with as a certified athletic trainer, so they hold a very, very special place in my heart, and it’s going to be very hard to leave them,” Asilo said.
Asilo said he was with the Pepperdine athletes more than he was with his family.
“Unlike other medical professions where you only get to see your patients every two months, in physical therapy you see them twice a week for two weeks,” Asilo said. “The athletes really do become my family, and it’s a profession where I get to create a different kind of relationship, which is something I really cherish.”
Athletic trainers have an influence on their program and athletes, and those around the team get to experience the importance and value of leadership, Women’s Soccer junior midfielder Skylar Enge said.
Enge said the Women’s Soccer team looks up to and has so much respect for Asilo as a leader, role model and friend.
Asilo said he knew from a young age he wanted to be a part of the medical field because of his passion for helping other people, especially athletes. Being a part of the Pepperdine Athletic community for two years, Asilo said the best part of his job was the relationships he was able to build with the student-athletes.
The trainers and coaches at Pepperdine care so much about each individual athlete who is transformed by their program, Enge said.
There is a focus on growth and constant support at the University, and Asilo was a great example of this, Women’s Soccer Head Coach Tim Ward said.
“We pride ourselves in developing Waves of character,” Ward said.
The duties of an Athletic Trainer are often hidden from the eyes of the public. The 5 a.m. call times and hours of treatment might not be noticed by the general population at Pepperdine, but it is something the athletes do not take for granted, Enge said.
Women’s Soccer senior midfielder Carlee Giammona said Asilo is a huge part of the team and the culture.
“He makes coming to practice so much better,” Giammona said. “I know I can count on Derek to put a smile on our faces, even when it is 6 a.m. The energy and love he brings to our whole team is really encouraging and makes such a big, positive difference in our program.”
Pepperdine athletic trainer Derek Asilo huddles with the Pepperdine Women’s Soccer team before their match against University of Pacific on Oct. 22. Photo courtesy of Amy Allegre
Women’s Soccer junior midfielder Julianna Duckett said Asilo made her experience at Pepperdine special, and it won’t be the same without him.
“I hope whoever he works with next knows how lucky they are to have such an amazing person working with them,” Duckett said. “We love him more than anything.”
Although Asilo said he is excited to move back home and be close to his family, he said he is going to miss the athletes here very much.
“It’s not even the school in general — I just have a very special relationship with this team, and it’s something that is going to be hard to replicate anywhere else,” Asilo said.
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Contact Shelby Little via email: shelby.little@pepperdine.edu
