What began as a routine collegiate basketball game on January 31 turned into a lifesaving moment for a Lee Center spectator, as Marymount University assistant athletic trainer Shea Taylor sprang into action.
While the Marymount Women’s Basketball team prepared for an afternoon game against Saint Elizabeth University, Taylor was busy prepping the athletic training room and organizing supplies. Moments later, a Marymount graduate assistant rushed in with urgent news.
“She told me someone had fallen,” Taylor recalled. “I was thinking maybe a broken bone or an ankle sprain. Then she said, ‘No, somebody literally collapsed.’”
Taylor immediately ran toward the gymnasium, unsure what she would find.
“I was sprinting so fast, my phone flew out of my pocket and across the gym,” she said. “But I wasn’t worried about that. I was just trying to figure out what was going on.”
When she reached the bleachers, the situation quickly came into focus. A spectator—later identified as Gregg Stewart, the father of a visiting Saint Elizabeth player—had collapsed and was unresponsive. His daughter stood nearby, screaming for help.
“I looked beside her and there was a man on the ground,” Taylor said. “He was blue in the face and obviously not breathing.”
Taylor quickly moved into action, checking his airway, breathing and pulse. She immediately began CPR while others retrieved an automated external defibrillator (AED). After roughly two minutes of CPR, the AED delivered a shock.
“We were about to continue CPR and then he started coming back,” Taylor said. “At that point, we were just trying to keep him awake.”
Emergency responders soon arrived and transported the man to a nearby hospital. Although the moment was intense, Taylor says her training ultimately guided her through it.
“It was all a blur, but something inside me just took over,” she said. “Everything you learn in training just starts to flow. If you take that training seriously, it becomes instinctual.”
For Taylor, who joined Marymount in August 2024 as one of four assistant athletic trainers, the experience drew on years of preparation.
Originally from Lynchburg, Va., she first discovered the athletic training field through her own experiences as an athlete. She played several sports growing up but focused on basketball in high school. During that time, she suffered a major knee injury that required significant rehabilitation.
“I tore my ACL and my meniscus,” she said. “I was in the athletic training room every day, and that’s when I really got to see what athletic trainers do. I realized it was a job that would allow me to be involved in sports and take care of other people. It felt like the best of both worlds for me.”
Taylor earned her undergraduate degree in exercise physiology from the University of Lynchburg before completing a master’s degree in athletic training at George Mason University in 2024. Not long after graduating, she found her way to Marymount as an athletic trainer.
“I loved it from the moment I came to campus,” she said. “It just felt like the right place. I like that it’s a smaller school where everybody knows everybody. We’re able to collaborate not only with the other athletic trainers, but with coaches and staff to support the athletes together.”
Working closely with student-athletes on multiple teams, Taylor—now affectionately known as “Save-the-Day Shea”—helps them prevent injuries, manage recovery and return safely to competition. She says one of the most rewarding parts of the job is helping athletes through difficult setbacks.
“Seeing an athlete go from one of the worst points in their life—like a season-ending injury—and then working all the way back to their sport is one of the most rewarding things,” she said. “Being able to help them get back out there at their best means a lot.”
A few weeks after the incident in the gym, Taylor received an unexpected surprise. Stewart returned to Marymount’s campus with cookies and gifts of appreciation.
“He was walking and talking and saying thank you, and that’s when it really came full circle for me,” she explained. “After the ambulance took him away, I wasn’t sure what had happened and there was a lot of uncertainty that stayed with me. But after seeing him healthy again, I felt like I could finally breathe again.”
“I honestly don’t think the word has been invented yet for how I feel about Shea’s efforts and the people of Marymount University,” Stewart said. “My family and I will be forever grateful for giving me this new lease on life. I know that I would not be here to talk about it if it was not for Shea and the rest of the Saints family.”
Although the experience was intense, it reinforced Taylor’s confidence in her skills and training.
“I’m where I am for a reason,” she said. “I did the schooling, certifications and training. When something unexpected happens, you just have to trust what you know.”
“When people think of an athletic trainer, they often picture someone running onto the field to evaluate a knee or ankle injury, but rarely do they imagine that same professional being called upon to take life-saving action for a spectator during pre-game warmups,” added Ryan Wildenhain, Assistant Director of Athletics at Marymount. “Yet, Shea did exactly that without hesitation. Her actions are a powerful reminder that athletic trainers are vital not only to sports, but to the safety and well-being of our entire community.”
Taylor’s heroic actions will be recognized by the Arlington County Fire Department on April 19, when she will be presented with a Citizen Life Saving Certificate.
“You never expect to be in a moment like that,” she said. “But looking back, I’m just grateful that I was there and that I was able to play a small part in helping save a life.”
