Riverside, Calif. (Aug. 25, 2014) -- What is the only muscle in the body that originates on the distal portion of a long bone and inserts on the distal portion of a long bone?

Most people may not know the answer, but a student in the College of Allied Heath athletic training program should. That was the final question a team of California Baptist University students had to answer for the National Athletic Trainers Association quiz bowl. (The answer: Brachioradialis)

For three consecutive years, CBU teams have won the regional Far West Athletic Trainers Association Quiz Bowl and went on to nationals. In June, the third time, a team from CBU won the national quiz bowl.

Two teams, each made up of three students in the athletic training program, competed at the regional quiz bowl in April and finished first and second. Three students also won cash awards for research posters at the regional conference.

The winning bowl team -- Corrie Bober, Kelsie Gartner, Naclaysia McGee -- went to nationals in Indianapolis to compete against teams from nine other regions.

The quiz bowl runs like Jeopardy, said Dr. Nicole MacDonald, associate professor of kinesiology and program director for the athletic training education program. There are categories to choose from and every team has a clicker. The competition is scored on how fast teams answer and if they respond correctly. The quiz covers material from the Board of Certification (BOC) exam, which all the students take.

"They don't practice. We feel like the last two years of their education has been practice to be an athletic trainer and those are the skills that you need," McDonald said. "It just shows how well our students do."

The winning team received a check for $1,000 for the program.

"We don't do anything special. It's just for fun," McDonald said. "But if you think about it, all these students are studying for the BOC exam, they're all taking it right at the same time. It should be fresh in their minds."

The students take at least three practice tests before the real thing, McDonald said. To be a certified athletic trainer, one must pass the BOC. The students knew answers for the quiz bowl and all the students knew them for the BOC exam. The 20 graduates from the program this year took the test in April or June. All passed, giving the program a 100 percent first-time pass rate.