Nomination of Jordan Nilson

The recipient of the 2025 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Jordan Nilson, Assistant Athletic Director for Olympic Sports at Auburn University. Coach Knox was nominated by Coach Katrin Koch, Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance at the University of Georgia.

Nomination letter for Jordan from Katrin Koch

To Whom It May Concern,

I am honored to nominate Jordan Nilson for the GATORADE Young Coach of the Year 2025 award, recognizing her exceptional contributions as a young strength and conditioning professional.

Jordan discovered her passion for strength and conditioning while playing softball at LaGrange, which led her to pursue a master’s degree in the field at the University of Georgia. She joined our staff as a graduate student volunteer coach in her first semester, and her strong work ethic and natural abilities earned her a quick promotion to a paid student coach.

Throughout her time in graduate school, Jordan demonstrated a thorough understanding of the technical aspects of strength and conditioning. She integrates her knowledge of exercise physiology, injury prevention, and recovery strategies into individualized, sport-specific training programs that have consistently improved athlete performance and health. This expertise laid the foundation for her subsequent roles: assistant strength coach at NC State, associate strength coach at UNC—where she helped the team win multiple NCAA titles—and, most recently, Assistant Athletic Director for Olympic Sports Performance at Auburn University in 2024.

Jordan is not just technically skilled; she is also a lifelong learner. She actively engages with the latest research, attends seminars, and serves on national governing bodies, constantly striving to refine her practice. She’s dedicated to ensuring that her athletes receive the best training programs available.

Her communication skills set her apart. Jordan excels at breaking down complex concepts, making them accessible and motivating for athletes. She listens intently, understands athletes’ needs, and fosters a positive, supportive environment based on mutual respect. Her ability to work with a multidisciplinary team- including sports medicine, nutrition, and psychology- further strengthens her comprehensive approach to athlete development, enabling her to build strong relationships and help athletes reach their full potential.

Since earning her master’s in 2016, Jordan has climbed to the role of Assistant Athletic Director at Auburn University, demonstrating remarkable growth in just a decade.

However, perhaps her greatest accomplishment is the balance she’s found between her professional and personal life. Despite her significant career success, Jordan has also built a family, proving to be an exemplary role model for her student-athletes. As a female coach, I have seen many promising young professionals leave the field due to the time demands, making Jordan’s ability to thrive in both her career and her family life even more inspiring. She is undeniably one of the most successful coaches to emerge from the Georgia Bulldog Coaching tree, and what she has accomplished in her first decade is truly remarkable.

For these reasons, I am proud to nominate Jordan Nilson for the GATORADE Young Coach of the Year 2025 award. Her technical expertise, leadership, and dedication to excellence—both professionally and personally—make her more than deserving of this recognition. I am confident that her contributions will continue to inspire future generations of athletes and professionals in the field of strength and conditioning.

Thank you for considering this nomination.                                                         

Katrin Koch

Nomination of Ken Knox

The recipient of the 2024 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Ken Knox, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Wake Forest University. Coach Knox was nominated by Coach David Bass, Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance at Wake Forest University.

Nomination Letter from Coach Bass

Ken Knox joined our staff at Wake Forest University in February 2021. He immediately made an impact within our department with not only how he worked with his assigned teams but also how he was willing to help others no matter the circumstance, as we were still going through COVID protocols. He continues to find ways to make himself and our department better. His responsibilities have grown during his time at Wake Forest to now include the title of Return-to-Performance Coordinator. This role was a newly created position in our department to serve better our student-athletes who have experienced a significant injury. In this role, he is our departmental liaison with sports medicine. He coordinates all training programs for injured student-athletes who will complete a long-term rehabilitation plan equal to or longer than six weeks, which includes designing running, change of direction, and strength training progressions. He meets weekly with our Rehabilitation Coordinator for Olympic Sports to discuss any status updates for injured student-athletes and reports in our weekly staff meetings. Within this role, he has been at the forefront of our department’s technology initiatives, including implementing VALD ForceFrame, ForceDecks, and Nordbord testing systems to help establish return-to-performance benchmarks. Coach Knox also coordinates all strength and conditioning activities for Volleyball and Men’s Tennis.

Coach Knox has also coordinated our internship program, including developing the curriculum to coincide with the CSCCa practicum requirements. As Internship coordinator, he is responsible for recruiting, coordinating, and educating individuals participating in our Internship program. His impact on Wake Forest Athletics has also been seen outside our department, which includes the RIDE (Realizing Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity), Coaching the Whole Athlete, and is the committee chair for the ACC Health and Safety Committee. 

I cannot speak highly enough about Coach Knox’s work ethic. He goes above and beyond to help our Student-athletes, but what I admire most about him is his willingness to learn and try to push our department forward. He is unafraid to work collaboratively to benefit the student-athletes, our department, our university, and our profession. No matter the task, you can always count on him to complete the job professionally. We have improved as a department with Coach Knox on our staff over the last three years, and ultimately, I believe he is a young Strength and Conditioning practitioner who will make our profession better. 

Nomination of Brandon Hummer

The recipient of the 2023 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Brandon Hummer, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Georgia. Coach Hummer was nominated by Coach Katrin Koch, Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance at the University of Georgia.

Nomination Letter from Coach Koch

Brandon Hummer started with us a young unpaid intern in the Fall of 2014. He slept in a friend’s walk-in closet and got a side job to be able to volunteer for us. After dedicating a year- he moved into a paid intern position- that led him to be our graduate assistant. He started his full time career at Boston College- followed by a stint at UVA where he won NCAA and ACC titles with his team. In the spring of 2020 he returned back to Athens- to work with the sports on the Olympic side. As he went through the interview process to come back to UGA- the biggest part was that our Athletic Department head got unsolicited phone calls from coaches and support staff around UGAA to endorse Brandon’s return to the Dawg Nation. And while Brandon’s teams’ success did help his hire- it is the personal connection that he has with anyone he encounters in the workplace- from Student-Athletes to Coaches to Grounds Crew. He forms a bond across departments and supports all sports and their staff- and always has time to either coach someone up- or listen to someone work through an issue. He is a team player- whether it is in the moment to help out short notice for a day- or for a few weeks.

He has the uncanny ability to be able to work with any sport- and is able to tailor his workouts to that sport- while always being true to who he is and what work needs to be done. He finds the right tone to address any team – whether it needs to be a pump up speech to a team- or a ‘settle down- you will be fine’ speech. In a time of social media dominant college athletics- Brandon Hummer is a shining young star – who does not promote himself- but uses his light to shine it on the SA’s that fight for him in the arena. If he knew that I am nominating him for this award- he would ask me not to do it. His point being that he just puts the work on paper- but the SAs actually do the work to be successful. Which is exactly why he deserves this award! Brandon- thanks for all that you do! You are a Damn Good Dawg!

Nomination of Mark Uptegraff

The recipient of the 2022 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Mark Uptegraff, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Wittenberg University. Coach Uptegraff was nominated by Coach Greg Warner, Head Strength & Conditioning at Virginia Tech University.

Nomination Letter for Mark from Coach Werner

I am delighted to nominate Mark Uptegraff, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Wittenberg University, for the 2022 Gatorade Young Achievement Award through the CSCCa. Coach Uptegraff oversees program design and implementation for all 23 varsity sports teams at Wittenberg. Coach Uptegraff directs the hands-on implementation of the comprehensive annual strength and conditioning programs for Football, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Men’s and Women’s Tennis. Mark began his work at Wittenberg in June of 2021 after two years as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Virginia Tech. Prior to VT he completed his undergraduate work at The University of North Carolina. While at UNC Coach Uptegraff served as the strength and conditioning intern and a student coach for the Tar Heel football team during the 2017-2018 school year. From 2014-2017, Uptegraff was an offensive lineman on the UNC football team. Coach Uptegraff has numerous professional certifications, including CSCCa-SCCC, NSCA-CSCS, USAW-L1 (USA Weightlifting-Level1) and RPR (Reflexive Performance Reset). I believe Mark is deserving of this award because he has stayed the course from collegiate athlete to undergraduate internships, to earning a graduate assistantship and now to earning and excelling as a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach — Mark is a great example for young people desiring to enter our profession. I give Coach Mark Uptegraff my highest recommendation and nomination for the 2022 Gatorade/CSCCa Young Achievement Award.

Nomination of Rece Poulin by Rob Livingstone

As a passionate, veteran strength and conditioning professional I am honored to mentor and nominate Rece Poulin for the Lance Vermeil Scholarship. Rece's short journey in the field has been fueled by a relentless commitment to athlete development, continuous education, and a deep respect for the foundational principles of strength and conditioning. Receiving this scholarship would allow him to further enhance his knowledge, contribute meaningfully to the profession, and honor the legacy of Coach Vermeil’s dedication to excellence.

Rece's experience includes working with athletes across various sports, focusing on performance optimization, injury prevention, and long-term development. He strives to create evidence-based training programs tailored to individual needs while fostering a culture of discipline, resilience, and teamwork. Understanding that strength and conditioning is both a science and an art, he continuously seeks mentorship, attends professional clinics, studies the latest research and most importantly, asks questions to refine his coaching philosophy.

Beyond technical expertise, Rece takes significant pride in his ability to build strong relationships with athletes and colleagues. Effective coaching extends beyond sets and reps—it requires leadership, communication, and the ability to inspire those we train. He is committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, ensuring that every athlete entrusted to his care not only improves physically but also gains confidence and life skills through structured training.

Receiving the Lance Vermeil Scholarship would provide Rece with invaluable opportunities for professional growth, networking, and education. It would enable him to learn from some of the best minds in the field while continuing to push the boundaries of what he can offer as a coach. As his mentor, I know he is eager to carry forward the values of integrity, hard work, and innovation that this scholarship represents.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am excited about the possibility of furthering Rece's impact in strength and conditioning with this incredible opportunity. He is a bright light and will play an integral role in the future of our profession.



Nomination of Ellen Gooch by Courtney Taybron

Ellen is, without question, one of the most impressive young coaches I’ve had the privilege to work alongside. She is a rockstar — not just because of her coaching ability, but because of the kind of person she is. Her work ethic, humility, and presence have elevated everyone around her, and she is more than deserving of the Lance Vermeil Scholarship. She embodies everything this award represents: grit, integrity, service, and leadership.

Ellen began her time here as a graduate assistant, stepping immediately into a demanding role. While balancing graduate school, she independently led our women’s rowing and cross country programs and played a major role in supporting several of our largest roster teams — including both men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer. Her ability to manage this workload with poise and professionalism speaks volumes about her discipline, organization, and dedication to the field.

She quickly became someone the entire staff and student-athletes could rely on. Ellen consistently shows up, does the little things right, and puts others first. She doesn’t leave until everything is set — from prepping for the next day to ensuring the staff and athletes have what they need. Her commitment behind the scenes is unmatched.

What truly sets Ellen apart is the impact she’s made outside the weight room. As a double major in exercise science and nutrition, she has been a beacon of light for our athletes — particularly our women — when it comes to fueling, education, and empowerment. She led a complete renovation of our Training Table standards in collaboration with campus dining, creating meaningful, lasting improvements. Ellen has held 1-on-1 meetings, led team talks, and presented to hundreds of athletes on how to properly fuel for performance and recovery. She’s also met with multiple coaching staffs to educate them on how to elevate their team’s nutrition support. She’s raised the standard for how we care for our athletes in ways that will last far beyond her time here.

Ellen is present in every sense of the word — fully engaged, invested, and intentional. Her leadership, consistency, and authenticity quickly made her one of the most trusted and respected members of our department. She lives our core values and leads with quiet strength and genuine service.

When a sudden staffing change left us with a critical decision, Ellen was the obvious choice to be promoted to full-time. Rather than go through an exhaustive national search, it was clear that elevating Ellen would be the best move for our department. The decision was unanimous across our executive leadership team and key sport coaches. They recognized the immense value Ellen brought — not just for her skills, but for her leadership, work ethic, and unwavering commitment to our athletes. She stepped into the full-time role seamlessly, and since then, her contributions have only continued to elevate the department.

Ellen is not only a phenomenal coach — she is a force for good, a servant leader, and a trailblazer for the next generation of women in strength and conditioning. She doesn’t just deserve this award — she exemplifies it.

Nomination of Alyssa Calvert

To Coach Al Vermeil & the CSCCa nominating committee, I would like to recommend Alyssa Calvert for the Lance Vermeil Award. I have coached Alyssa for the past three years as she competed on our Olympic Weightlifting team for MidAmerica Nazarene University. Being on the team has inspired her to pursue a career in strength & conditioning. The knowledge and expertise she has gained during that time has helped sharpen her talent & skills to coach those lifts as well as help her have an even better understanding of coaching & programming. During that time, she also worked for me as a Strength & Conditioning Student Assistant at MNU. She was an incredible help, and I knew she would be able to clearly articulate what was on the workout. There have been times when staffing was low, and she would need to lead a team or a handful of athletes for me. She never hesitated and took advantage of the opportunity to sharpen her coaching skills as well as think of creative ways to train teams. 

She has also been able to expand her coaching and has had the opportunity to work for a local high school, Pembroke Hill and shares her expertise with those athletes. She has even had some of her athletes try Olympic Weightlifting competitions as well. Alyssa is always studying and eager to learn more to improve her coaching abilities and to help her athletes be at their best at their respective sport. I really wish we had more people that have the heart and passion Alyssa has for athletic development. People like her are few and far between. She can direct a room with confidence and organize a team in a way that can maximize their potential and flow of the room. Not only does she have a strong work ethic and passion to pursue excellence but, our athletes respond well to her coaching. Being an athlete first has given her the ability to help her athletes both mentally and physically in their preparation for their sport. Alyssa has recently started a master’s program in Kinesiology, and I know this scholarship would also help lighten the financial burden. Thank you for considering Alyssa for the Lance Vermeil scholarship!

Nomination of John Porchivina

Coach Porchivina embodies everything this organization is striving for. He coaches with excellent passion and mentorship while using sound and practical applications of the science and research that the CSCCa supports. Being a former division 1 football player and also serving in the marine corps has allowed him to have an unbelievable perspective on coaching and leadership. He has an extremely bright future in our profession and I think he will represent the CSCCa with the upmost integrity and prestige.  

Nomination of Logan Ridge Sanders

Coach Logan is one most selfless, driven, and committed individuals I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Logan emailed me before Covid to see if he could volunteer and learn from us here at TAMUCC. My assistant at the time left and I did a terrible job of following up, so this email was never responded to. Over a year later through a mutual friend Logan finally got in contact with me. He already had his masters, CSCS, and was training out of a local boxing club. He started volunteering here Summer 2021. He immediately had positive and valuable impact on our department and athletes. Fall of 2021 our part-time assistant had to move so Logan stepped in and covered Baseball in-season after assisting with them in the fall. This was quite an assignment given he had only been in the college strength game for about 6 months. He did this on top of his responsibility directly overseeing Softball. He still had to assist with the after school program at the boxing club as well as some personal training sessions to make ends meet. There was some bumps along the way but he rose to the occasion. Fall of 2022 I hired a 2nd fulltime position, Logan was not who I hired. He understood he was not the best candidate and still needed some time in the field. He choose to stay on and assist another year without pay despite not being hired for the fulltime position. He has been overseeing softball as well as assisting with all our other sports for the last year. All while working fulltime at the boxing club, to be able to keep a roof over his head and food on the table. He will be sitting to take the SCCC exam this may and applying for a full time position in the field. Sports performance is what he is called to do. Although all it has done is take from him he knows it will give back more then he could ever imagine one day. He has not allowed circumstances or excuses to keep him from this dream. From the tragic loss of his mother to almost no family ties, Logan has overcome and will continue to do so. That is why he embodies the resilience, commitment, and humble service oriented character it takes to make it in a field that many don't survive. This 2k would change his life, and show that our industry truly values those who would sacrifice almost anything to serve others through iron and sweat. Thank you for your time and consideration of Logan Ridge Sanders for this prestigious award. 

Nomination of Mason Gooch

Please accept this official Letter of Nomination for the 2023 Lance Vermeil Award on behalf of Mason Gooch who is a currently on the Sports Performance Staff with the Baltimore Ravens Football Club. I had the pleasure of mentoring and working with Mason when he was a graduate assistant under me at East Tennessee State University from 2020-2022.

Mason demonstrates the hard working and positive coaching characteristics needed to be a successful strength and conditioning coach on any level. He proves his dedication to the field of strength and conditioning by the way he coaches and serves athletes every day.

Mason was born profoundly deaf. While some might let this hinder or challenge their ability to be a strength and conditioning coach, he has not. Because of his great attention to detail, focused effort and relentless work ethic this has not hindered his performance or limited his ability to be a great strength coach it has pushed him to excel.

Please consider Mason Gooch for the 2023 Lance Vermeil award. It is an honor to nominate him for this award. Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have concerning Mason.

Nomination of Erika Rogan

The recipient of the 2021 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Erika Rogan, Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cornell University. Coach Rogan was nominated by Coach Jay Andress, Associate Director for Strength & Conditioning at Cornell University.

Nomination Letter for Erika from Coach Andress

I am excited to formally nominate Erika Rogan, Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning at Cornell University for the Gatorade/CSCCa young achievement award. Erika Rogan began as an intern within our department, and it was immediately clear that her passion for strength and conditioning was exceptional and her potential was limitless. She was hired immediately following her internship as an Assistant in 2012 where she has been an outstanding role model for all Cornell University student-athletes. Erika was promoted to Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning in 2019 because of her extraordinary work ethic, production, leadership, and loyalty. As her supervisor I cannot speak highly enough regarding how well Erika represents the organizations she is a part of. She is truly a gold standard ambassador for Cornell University, the CSCCa, and the strength and conditioning profession in general. Erika effortlessly builds genuine relationships that have lasting impacts on the lives of Cornell University student-athletes. Erika’s training models and prescriptions have resulted in significant performance improvements for the teams she represents as noted in her resume. As required in our profession Erika is always seeking knowledge that will make her a better coach. Erika takes pride in being the best coach possible, so in turn she can have a greater impact on the teams an athletes she services. I have supervised and worked with many young coaches over the years and I can say without hesitation that Erika Rogan is the very best I have ever supervised or worked with. It is with the highest regard that I recommend Erika Rogan for the Gatorade/CSCCa young achievement award. Please feel free to follow up if I can provide and additional information. Sincerely, Jay Andress

Nomination of Aaron Jung

The recipient of the 2020 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Aaron Jung, Assistant Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Morningside College. Coach Jung was nominated by Coach Michael Silbernagle, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Mary.

Nomination Letter for Aaron from Coach Silbernagel

I would like to nominate Aaron Jung for the 2020 Gatorade/CSCCa Young Achievement Award. To be honest Aaron has been like a little brother to me. We first got to know each other when he joined my staff as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach in the fall of 2013. At this time he had very little experience, no certifications, and zero coaching presence. During his tenure as a graduate assistant he grew as most do but in our situation he evolved his role into an acting full time assistant. Continued his education by finishing his masters degree and picked up certifications along the way (SCCC, CSCS, USAW, FMS).Aaron accepted a job before his graduate assistantship was completed and started working for Morningside College (NAIA) in Sioux City, Iowa as the only strength and conditioning coach for the entire athletic department. While there he has grown as a coach and a person surpassing any goals that I could have had for him when he left. Since May of 2015 Morningside Athletics have gone to new heights. The football team which has a history of success has won five conference titles and just finished winning their second national title in a row, the men’s basketball team recently clinched their third conference title over that same five year span, the softball team also has taken home the conference championship three times, while wrestling and women’s basketball also claimed a championship as well. The conference and national titles and participation have been nice but he has also fundraised to upgrade equipment in the current weight room, designed and implemented and internship program, has increased athlete nutritional understanding, and even has been able to create a part time position which has allowed other young coaches to start their careers and grow in the field.This fall showed Aaron’s real commitment to his craft. He suffered a severe injury which required surgery on both of his knees at the same time. While no where near 100% he coached from a wheel chair, then eventually to a walker as his athletes where a priority to him.Aaron has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time and there is not doubt in my mind that more is yet to come as he is already starting to give back by presenting at local and regional events this spring.

Nomination of Steve Hartman

The recipient of the 2019 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Steve Hartman, Head Sports Performance Coach at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. Coach Hartman was nominated by Coach Matt Jennings, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Xavier University; Coach Jason Dierking, Director of Olympic Sports Performance for the University of Louisville and Coach Teena Murray, Senior Director of Athlete Health & Performance for the Sacramento Kings.

Nomination Letter for Steve from Coach Jennings

The purpose of this nomination letter is to introduce Bellarmine University Sports Performance Head Coach, Steve Hartman, as a truly outstanding and much deserving candidate for the Gatorade/CSCCa Young Achievement Award.

Steve is currently in his seventh season passionately and tirelessly serving the Bellarmine University Student-Athletes and Coaches as the only University employed Sport Performance Coach. He directly administers all of the Sport Performance duties (Athlete Assessment, Continuing Education, Strength Program Design, Appropriate Conditioning Protocols, Nutritional Services, Social Media Presence, etc.) for 21 Division II Sport Teams and 420 Student-Athletes. Furthermore, and amazingly enough, all of these critically important professional responsibilities are accomplished with ZERO Operating Budget, and 800 square foot Strength Facility, and a 1,200 square foot Indoor Turf Area.

In conclusion, I cannot express enough, particularly in 500 words or less, how so very deserving Coach Hartman is to receive this honorable and prestigious award. His daily devotion to the field of Strength & Conditioning, his passion for service to others, his long-term commitment to our profession, and his care for the Student-Athletes is both inspiring and motivating.

Nomination of Zach Farrel

The recipient of the 2018 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Zachery Farrel, Senior Sports Performance Caoch/Olympic Sports at the University of Louisville. Coach Farrel was nominated by Coach Teena Murray, Director of Olympic Sports Performance at the University of Louisville.

Nomination Letter for Zach from Coach Murray

To Whom it May Concern,

It is with great pleasure that I nominate Zach Farrel- Senior Performance Coach at the University of Louisville for the 2018 Gatorade/CSCCa Young Achievement Award.

Zach is an impressive nominee on all fronts. As a coach, he has led the Louisville Baseball program to back-to-back College World Series, and 3 appearances in the past 5 years. He has also led the Louisville Volleyball team to an ACC title in only it's 3rd year in the league, and produced a NCAA Runner-up in the Shot Put. As an educator, he serves as an adjunct lecturer teaching in the graduate program in Strength & Conditioning. As a mentor, he leads the Louisville Sports Performance Mentorship Program, and, as a leader, heads our Speed-Power Research and Development Team.

Zach has been a member of the Louisville Sports Performance team since 2008 when he began his tenure as an undergraduate intern. Next, he transitioned to a graduate assistant role from 2009-2011. As a GA, Zach demonstrated such a rare passion for learning and growth, and such a rare commitment to the Cardinal brand that when graduation approached it was clear we needed to keep him in a Cardinals' uniform.

Today, as a senior performance coach, Zach works with baseball, volleyball, men's tennis, and the track and field throws group. As leader of the Strength-Power Team, he evaluates programs, refines methodologies, leads decision-making around tools and technologies, and leads staff education. And, as a lecturer he teaches Advanced Principles of Strength and Conditioning for second year graduate students. This applied course, taught in our facility, requires complete curriculum development, implementation and evaluation.

Zach and his wife, Caleigh are active participants in UofL's Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He also assists with Cardinal Athletics' male leadership development mprogram- Team Elite.

Zach embodies the best of what coaching is about- a genuine passion for impacting student- athletes. A servant leader, great teammate, and committed professional Zach is a future star in our industry, and I strongly endorse him this award.

Nomination of Daniel Kant-Hull

The recipient of the inaugural 2017 Gatorade CSCCa Young Achievement Award is Daniel Kant-Hull, Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Marquette University. Coach Kant-Hull was nominated by both Coach Bill Maxwell, Director of Olympic Strength and Conditioning at the University of Iowa and Coach Todd Smith, Director of Sports Performance at Marquette University.

Nomination Letter for Daniel from Coach Smith

As an up and coming strength and conditioning coach, Daniel Kant-Hull has profoundly impacted Marquette Athletics in his 2 years here.

Dan taught himself how to use sports technology to monitor players as the Performance Analyst Intern for the Cleveland Browns. We hired Dan to implement and coordinate the player tracking systems we have in place at Marquette University. He has educated the performance staff on player load tracking, which has allowed Marquette to have a competitive advantage through not only it's use, but understanding and exercise prescription using data analytics. He is my main resource when it comes to all things technology. Kant-Hull is also directly responsible for track and field, men's golf, and women's tennis.

Dan also works with academic departments on campus at Marquette to create and enhance the services provided to the student-athletes. These include: working with the computer engineering department to create a neural network that will assess athlete training variables; working with the biomedical engineering department on the creation of new sensors that can more accurately and less invasively measure what is happening in the body; and working with the biomechanics department to better assess athlete movement patterns and provide training that meets the student-athletes' specific needs. The addition of Dan has helped integrate athletics and academics on campus here at Marquette.

He earned a Bachelor's degree from Carroll University in Exercise Science with a Sports Nutrition Minor, a Master's degree from the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse in Exercise and Sports Science: Human Performance, and is currently working on a PhD from Concordia University - Chicago in Leadership Health & Human Performance. He has strived to stay on the cutting edge of science and research and his quest for knowledge gives him a wide knowledge base.

Most importantly, Dan has focused on the development of people and relationships. He is an indispensable member of the Sports Performance Staff at Marquette. For him, it has always been about the athletes that he works with and the relationships that they built together to create a championship mindset. He truly values the lifelong impact coaches have.

Nomination Letter for Daniel from Coach Maxwell

I am writing to recommend Daniel Kant-Hull for the Gatorade/CSCCa Young Achievement Award. Daniel served as a volunteer intern within our strength and conditioning department during the 2012-13 academic year and elevated his career to Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Marquette University. Our interns typically work 20-40 hours per week with Daniel exceeding that amount by putting in 50-60 hours in addition to the many hours he spent researching topics related to our field.

Our athletic department made a bigger commitment to the strength and conditioning program for Olympic Sports in 2011. The strength and conditioning department started an initiative to monitor internal response of training along with external response for guiding program design. This required much research from staff on best technologies and practices. Our department moved forward with Omegawave, Gymaware and Tensiomyography. Daniel researched these areas at great length and was very inquisitive with our staff. This assisted my learning greatly. He also assisted me with developing a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Model to be utilized with our men's basketball team. I still use the model to correlate with our Catapult GPS Technology. Catapult is expensive and not practical for every member of the team; however, RPE does provide an affordable method to calculate training load while being validated with Catapult. Daniel continues to evolve with Catapult and speaks at the NBA User and NFL User Conferences.

Daniel is currently pursuing a PhD in Health and Human Performance. His thirst for knowledge is a great characteristic; however, one of his best traits is an eternally optimistic view for success. He constantly searches for methods to improve his situation and has an expectation that it will occur. One must have vision before great things can happen. Daniel found creative methods to supply his student-athletes with technologies that his department could not afford during his tenure at Tulane as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. He finds a way to get things done which is an extremely valuable trait in this field. This bolsters confidence with everyone who meets Daniel. His commitment to learning and work ethic make him an excellent candidate for the Gatorade/CSCCa Young Achievement Award.

Nomination of Zach Cook

Ron Mckeefery, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for University of Washington

I am writing to recommend Zack Cook for the Lance Vermeil Award. Zack has worked with me at Eastern Michigan (Intern), Fresno State (CSCCA Practicum), and now the University of Washington as a Part Time Coach. Additionally, he has been in low paying roles as the Head S&C at Pioneer High School (Michigan), West Virginia State, and Prairie View. In all my years of coaching I have not seen someone sacrifice so much to learn and develop as Zack. He has lived on coaches, not great areas of town, and routinely walks to work to save money. Money is not what motivates him, he is motivated by learning and growing and working with young people to do the same. He played College Football and won a couple of National Championships at Wisconsin Whitewater. He is dedicated, hardworking, and in it for the right reasons. I can think of no one more deserving of this award than Zack. Thanks

Nomination of Michael Kiely

Todd Riedel, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Delaware State University

Dear Lance Vermeil Nomination committee, I am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Michael Kiely for his performance as an entry level Strength & Conditioning Coaching Assistant at Delaware State University. I have had the opportunity to work with Coach Kiely daily, and he has proven to be a hardworking, dedicated, and extremely motivated individual. Coach Kiely’s direct responsibilities are with Women’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Golf, and Cheerleading. In addition, he has demonstrated his coaching talents with all of our programs, including football and basketball. His desire to succeed and the motivation to learn has been outstanding. He has quickly developed a rapport with our staff as well as our athletes and has earned our respect as a professional. On numerous occasions, Coach Kiely went above and beyond the requirements of the internship to ensure the complete understanding and knowledge of the exercises and drills performed during the training phases, even going so far as to apply his knowledge to adapt his programming to fit the needs of athletes who are rehabbing injuries while on the fly. His attention to detail and dedication to providing our athletes with top quality coaching has helped our staff immensely in pursuing our department goals as well as helping ensure fluid day-to-day operations. Coach Kiely has shown consistency and competency while working in the Delaware State Strength & Conditioning department. These characteristics are sure to transcend in all that he pursues. Therefore, I recommend Michael Kiely without reservation for the 2022 Lance Vermeil Award. If I can be of any assistance please don’t hesitate to call.

Nomination of Haley Roberts

Trevor Williams, Associate Athletic Director for Strength and Condition, Sam Houston State University

I would like to formally nominate Coach Haley Roberts of Sam Houston State University for the 2022 Lance Vermeil Scholarship Award. I frequently refer to our strength and conditioning department as the “Frontline Workers” responsible for developing and promoting an environment conducive to student-athletes’ development. Haley Roberts embodies the traits and values that prioritize the physical, mental, and emotional development and well-being of our student-athletes. She is cognizant of and empathic to the stresses present in student-athlete lives while balancing firm and stringent standards of hard work. With her continued growth as a strength coach, she will undoubtedly be an impactful representative of the strength community as a CSCCa member and strength professional. Coach Robert joined our staff with the goal of completing her master’s thesis in Human Performance. As with many mid-major athletic programming, the financial obstacles young coaches, like Haley, encounter makes their journey that much more challenging. However, in the short time she has worked with us, she has not only proven to be an invaluable asset to our immediate unit, but a catalyst in bridging the gap with the kinesiology department on our campus. In seven months, she coordinated research with professors on campus which has afforded our strength department access to DEXA scanning for all our athletes and provided GPS tracking technology for multiple teams. This is one example that displays Coach Haley’s ability to build meaningful relationships that benefit our studentathletes. She has also applied for a $10,000 national grant that will fund her thesis research and directly benefit our department with new technology and equipment. Her initiative and stalwart pursuit of her career goals have set her apart from any other young coach I have had the experience mentoring. On top of her educational endeavors, she is responsible for designing, implementing, and tracking the athletic development programs for four separate teams. In addition to the essential parts of their development programs, Coach Haley has also developed a Wellness and Readiness to Train survey platform that we have implemented department wide to increase our coaching effectiveness. Her ambition and diligence have strengthened her relationship with our student-athletes and sport coaches. Her ultimate career aspiration is to work with high level collegiate or professional football programs. Coach Roberts currently works as our top assistant with the SHSU football program managing multiple positions group in the weight room and on the field. With the attitude, confidence, and maturity she has exhibited thus far as a female coach in a male dominated environment, there is no doubt she will be running the room of a major football program at some point in the future. Lastly, as our internship coordinator, Coach Roberts has not only shown commitment to our student-athletes but other young aspiring strength coaches. She is responsible for vetting potential intern candidates and will spend this summer leading our staff in developing a new internship curriculum and standards. While Coach Robert deserves to be recognized for her positive influence at Sam Houston State University, this award conveys our gratitude for her commitment to the betterment of our industry. My hope is that this recognition creates opportunities in her future to grow and build upon an already impressive career in strength and conditioning. Trevor Williams, M.A, CSCCa Associate Athletic Director for Strength & Conditioning Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX

Nomination of Sianna Decarli

Cori Metzgar, Director of Sports Performance for Western Oregon University

I would like to nominate Sianna DeCarli for the 2021 Lance Vermeil Scholarship Award. Sianna was a volleyball athlete for Western Oregon University,and had aspirations to become a strength coach from early on. We do not have GA positions at WOU, and we only have 2 FT coaches, so having student-athletes who are Exercise Science majors AND have an interest in strength and conditioning is always very valuable for our department, as they already have an idea of what this career looks like and know how we run our sports performance program.

Unfortunately early in her time volunteering with us, COVID-19 shut us down. Throughout the shut down, Sianna kept in constant contact with me and was in here helping me clean, sanitize, plan and organize the room for the moment we were able to open our doors again. She was very giving in her time to do whatever she needed to do to help, learn and get her foot in the door. Once we started training again, Sianna decided to forego her last season of Volleyball in order to concentrate on her Strength and Conditioning career. She decided to do her internship for the CSCCa and has done a phenomenal job, far exceeding the hours she needed to sit for the exam.

With all the restrictions on training sizes, cleaning, planning and sanitizing, Sianna received a lot more experience than she probably expected, but she has just soared in her confidence, abilities, command and presence. I have counted on her to warm up groups, set up the room, run small training groups and cover teams when I have to run to another team. She controls the room with respect, passion and grace, and has been a huge asset, one I didn’t know I needed. I’m not sure things would have run so smooth in this craziness without her help this year!

Sianna is now USAW certified, is planning on sitting for her SCCC exam in May, and has been offered a GA position at Delta State University. I am so proud of her and will be sad to see her go, as she was a very valuable part of our staff over the last 2 years, more so than I ever could have predicted, but I look forward to watching her career blossom and take off. She is a bright spot for us in this last year and I am honored that she chose to follow in our footsteps. That is why I believe she is deserving of this award, she gave so much of herself this past 1.5 years, quitting a job and deciding to not play her last season of volleyball so that she could become a Strength and Conditioning Professional, that is dedication, passion and perseverance in my opinion.

Nomination of Sean Robbins

Ron McKeefrey, Assistant Athletics Director - Sports Performance, Fresno State University

I am writing to nominate one of my Coaches for the Lance Vermeil Scholarship Award.

Sean Robbins has been exemplary in his role as an Assistant S&C here at Fresno State. Prior to coming to Fresno as a S&C fellow, he had completed internships at Stanford and North Dakota State. Most recently he was a Coaching Assistant at New Mexico State. He is currently a Strength and Conditioning Fellow at Fresno State University, and will be sitting for the SCCC at this year's conference.

It has not been an easy road for Sean chasing his dream of becoming a Division One Head S&C Coach. For the first four years of his coaching career he lived in a garage, worked a manual labor job, and went to school, while balancing an internship. Like many others he has couch surfed, slept in his car and/or office. For four months he did not have access to a car, because he couldn't get it fixed. Just as he was starting to see his career take the next step, he had to pause for 3 months to go back home to help his mother through chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Sean has been able to rebound and get his career back on track, but it hasn't been easy never making more than $22,000 in his career. Sean is a good young Coach that has paid his dues and then some. Lance Vermeil was someone that was committed, hard working, and a talented Coach. Sean embodies those same characteristics, and I believe an award like this would continue to provide him with encouragement to continue to chase his dreams.

Nomination of Kylie Katers

Michael Silbernagel, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the University of Mary

I would like to nominate Kylie Katers for the 2019 Lance Vermeil Scholarship. Kylie joined our staff in June 2018 and many dominoes had to fall in the correct path in order for this to happen. In late April, Kylie reached out to us about a graduate assistant posting that had just been filled, but she kept in communication ad as if it was meant to happen, another of our GA's took a position in his hometown and we began looking. Kylie was an easy choice at the time and little did we know that it was easily the best choice overall.

As most first year graduate assistants Kylie had experience as an undergrad at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and had just finished an internship at the University of Wisconsin. This gave her some experience in a DIII athletic setting in the sports performance center and also in a DI environment where she assisted with men's and women's basketball, hockey and golf while being able to get direct experience with cheer and dance. During this time she also competed competitively in both power lifting and more recently Olympic weight lifting.

Kylie has shown dedication on the education front as well. When she arrived she had certifications from USA Weightlifting (Level 1), ACSM (CPT), and International Society of Sports Nutrition (CISSN) all accomplished as she finished her degree in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Wisonsin-Lacrosse. While impressive as a young coach since joining our staff she has added certifications through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS), Functional Movement Systems (FMS Level 1), and Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR Level 1) all at the same time as starting her master’s degree in Kinesiology at the University of Mary.

While all of the above information could be enough to nominate alone it does not truly speak to how Kylie has grown and what she brings to our staff. Since day one she has been a sponge and has watched and learned. Not just from observation or a book but also under the bar. She started by doing a red-shirt workout for our football program and has progressed to designing her own programs to see what may or may not work for her student-athletes. Although her title may say graduate assistant, she has grown to the point where she handles herself more like a full-time assistant coach. Currently she designs and implements programs for men's soccer, women's swimming and diving, and softball while assisting with football and track and field. She is a tremendous asset to our staff and student-athletes and I am excited to see what her future holds.

Nomination of Jonathan Moore

Daniel Darcy, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, Lamar University

It is with great honor that I write to you to express my strong and enthusiastic support for Mr. Jonathan Moore's scholarship nomination through the CSCCa. I have known Jonathan for the past year as his direct supervisor at Lamar University. Without hesitation he took a financial risk of moving from Texas to Maine to initiate his secondary education and chase his dream of competing at the collegiate level in basketball. Although this dream didn't pan out he was knowingly chasing another career opportunity...Strength and Conditioning. He showed up at my office in the Summer of 2018 offering his services in the form of a voluntary internship for the next two years. That spark of interest has now spread like a wild fire. I quickly discovered he lives, eats, and breathes strength and conditioning to the point that he works the bare minimum hours at a part-time job to pay his bills so that all of his remaining free time can be spent learning and developing in the weight room.

In my 13 years of experience in the field of strength and conditioning I have seen no other intern invest by more than doubling his assigned hours while still bringing a positive outlook daily regardless of the life challenges he faces. One of those challenges includes balancing time spent with his Father whose terminal illness leaves his days numbered. Jonathan never uses this as an excuse or allows his emotions to be affected in the weight room, but rather teaches him the importance of maximizing each relationship. He creates long-lasting memories and optimism through bringing a smile and enthusiasm to his family, our staff, the student-athletes and even the administration on a daily basis.

Although an intern, he is performing the balancing act of a typical Graduate Assistant including a full academic load, designing sound sport-specific lifting and conditioning programs (intern curriculum), leading small Olympic sport teams, a part-time job and several other behind the scenes job duties including weight room upkeep. No task is too big or too small for Jonathan, he takes the same pride and detail in each assignment from leading the Women's Golf team, to coaching Olympic lifting technique for Football, to restocking the supplements. Considering the heavy academic and coaching demands of the position, this speaks volumes to Jonathan's determination and can-do attitude that is on display in all aspects of his life. Jonathan's ability to excel at every one of these components is a rare and impressive feat. Regularly operating on 5-6 hours of sleep, he still trains every team with unwavering intensity and discipline. His time management skills and ability to respond quickly to change are constantly on display. The instant I need a team or student-athlete covered, he doesn't hesitate to step up. He has become in irreplaceable asset to our program.

With all that Jonathan has accomplished in the classroom and weight room, his best personality trait is his contagious positive demeanor that the student-athletes feed off of. He has made relationship building look easy, as the student-athletes he trains trust and believe in his coaching and knowledge. I believe Jonathan is a future leader in the field of Strength & Conditioning. I recommend Jonathan Moore without reservation as you consider him for the CSCCa Scholarship.

Nomination of Aaron Hall

Don Decker, Director of Sports Performance, New Mexico State University

Aaron Hall reflects all of the attributes this award recognizes. I believe this because I had the opportunity to become acquainted with Lance. Lance’s father Al and my mentor John Stucky were friends. Because of this friendship, I have seen videos of Lance’s Olympic lifting training sessions and it is due to this familiarity, I feel extremely confident that Aaron Hall is a perfect fit for this award.

Aaron, much like Lance, has an unbelievable passion for Olympic lifting. In my 30 years of coaching, he is the best I have ever had on my staff. This passion and expertise is infectious. Just recently he has started training one of our standout senior swimmers as a competitive Olympic lifter. She just finished her eligibility and her exposure to the Olympic lifting by Aaron, who was her strength coach, fueled a passion to move into becoming a competitive Olympic lifter.

Aaron’s journey to become a collegiate strength and conditioning coach started at the University of UTEP where he was a graduate assistant for two years. He left UTEP and worked for eight months as a volunteer strength and conditioning coach at LSU with Tommy Moffitt. When I was looking to fill a GA/Paid Intern position, Tommy gave Aaron the highest recommendation he could give, so I hired him. Tommy was right. He is the most polished, qualified, proficient person I have ever hired into one these positions in my 20 years as a head strength coach. Aaron will be sitting for the test this year and I know that those who test him in the practicum portion will see what both Coach Moffitt and I have seen; a future star in this profession.

Aaron’s coaching duties at New Mexico State University include assisting with football and baseball, and independently coaching track and swimming. Another responsibility that Aaron administrates is the enhanced meals each evening for football. As with most non-power five schools, we do not have a nutritionist. Our enhanced meal is served in a back room of the campus cafeteria. Aaron takes attendance at this meal and he is responsible for replacing the empty catering trays, so that the food stays fresh and hot for the players. He handles this responsibility with great care. No job too big and no job too small.

Being a collegiate strength and conditioning coach is not just what he wants to do for a living; it is who he is. He has worked for very little pay at two universities and at one for free. He has proven that no amount of pay is too low to do this job, as well as; no task is too small or menial. He is what I, as a Master Strength Coach, want the future of this profession to be built on. This $1,500 award will be greatly appreciated by Aaron, and it will be obviously helpful to a young coach who has made very little money so far in this business. But bigger than that, the Lance Vermeil award will be well represented. Thanks for your consideration.

Nomination of Taryn Eubanks

Dave Trevino, Director of Athletic Performance

I would like to nominate Taryn Eubanks for the 2018 Lance Vermeil Scholarship Award. The Lord brought Taryn to us in August 2017 as a graduate student and she immediately sought out our department. Soon after meeting her we hired her as a paid intern. I have had the privilege to work with Taryn over the last 5 months and over the course of that time she has grown so much. Being a female coach surrounded by males, Taryn brings a very uplifting dynamic to our department. She consistently brings contagious passion, energy and positivity to our weight room. In spite of a very demanding schedule and commute she has proved to be consistent, reliable, hardworking and trustworthy.

Coach Taryn has a varied history in strength and conditioning, exercise and training. This will be her 3rd collegiate weight room experience, as Taryn has had previous internships with both Colorado Mesa University and Metro State University strength and conditioning departments. She has also worked in both high school and private weight rooms. Throughout her various experiences she has accumulated experience working with multiple sports including hockey, football, golf, softball, cross-country, men's and women's basketball and more.

Taryn currently trains both the cheer and dance teams and assists with men's soccer, women's tennis, volleyball, and basketball here at DBU. Taryn is very committed to our athletes and endures a long daily commute to our facility. She conducts pre-game warm ups for both cheer, dance, and men's soccer during the season and attends nearly every practice.

Taryn has earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University with a concentration in sports conditioning and a minor in coaching and psychology. Taryn is currently working towards her Master of Science degree in kinesiology here at Dallas Baptist University. Coach Taryn walks the walk and can regularly be found training herself, experimenting and learning in our weight room.

Taryn has invested a great deal of her personal time and personal finances on professional development. She has traveled to numerous schools, universities and facilities within the Dallas/Fort Worth commuter circle. She is always reading and is continually asking questions in regards to training.

We are blessed to have Taryn as a member of our department. DBU and our student athletes are better because of her. Go Patriots!

Nomination of Joseph C. Davey

Matt Jennings, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, University of Xavier

The purpose of this nomination letter is to introduce Joey Davey, a trusted and valued member of the Xavier University Strength & Conditioning Staff for the past three years, as a potential candidate for The Lance Vermeil Award.

During Joey's tenure as an Unpaid / Volunteer Intern Strength & Conditioning Coach, I have had the opportunity to personally oversee his continued coaching development as he assists with the design, organization, administration, implementation, and evaluation of the training programs for our 300 Student-Athletes. Furthermore, Joey performed a variety of office management oriented tasks, as well as having full charge of the Strength & Conditioning Facility maintenance details and the Student-Athlete Fuel Station. Currently, he is a Graduate Assistant at the University of Wyoming.

Joey is routinely recognized by the Strength Staff, Athletes, and Coaches as being outstanding in leadership roles, attentive to details, plus reliable and friendly in the work place. Additionally, and most importantly, he is exceptionally effective in working and communicating with the Athletes, Coaches, and Staff who use the resources of the Strength & Conditioning Facility.

In conclusion, I would not hesitate to highly recommend Joey Davey for The Lance Vermeil Award. His daily devotion to the field of Strength & Conditioning, his passion for service to others, his long-term commitment to our profession, and his care for the Student-Athletes is both inspiring and motivating. If there is anything more you feel you would like to discuss regarding Joey's qualifications, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your valuable time and attention.

Nomination of Richard Meldrum

Keith Vinci, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance, University of Massachusetts Lowell

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Richard James Meldrum for the CSCCa 2017 Lance Vermeil Award. Richard's career is just beginning, but has spanned across the United States.

Richard first discovered his passion for strength and conditioning during his first deployment overseas with his infantry unit, the 82nd Airborne, to Iraq in 2006-2007. Upon leaving the US Army, Richard enrolled at the University of Hawaii to pursue a bachelor's degree in Health and Exercise Science. He then had the opportunity to begin his career in strength and conditioning as a Professional Intern in the Fall of 2013. Richard assisted with all sports teams at UH and graduated in 2015 along with both the CSCS & SCCC certifications. After graduating, Richard moved his family across the country for a part-time position here at UMass Lowell.

Richard joined our staff in August 2015 as our paid intern and was an immediate impact on and throughout our department. He has taken responsibility for the Men's & Women's Track teams, who previously had no Sports Performance Coach, as well as the Women's Soccer and Women's Lacrosse teams. Under his assistance, the Men's Cross Country team has won a Conference Championship in 2016, the Men's Track Team has a second-place finish in their indoor 2017 season, as well as multiple school records on both Men's & Women's track teams being broken. The Women's Soccer team qualified for the America East Conference post season tournament, and Women's Lacrosse is on its way to its best season to date.

As the athletic department transitions to Division I, Richard has brought a level of commitment and professionalism that has helped elevate our department, his team's abilities and practices, and overall mentality. Richard is also in charge of managing our undergraduate intern program; created our intern manual and developing an intern education program. Richard is currently pursuing his Master's degree in Sports Conditioning & Performance from Southern Utah University, and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2018 and maintains a GPA above a 3.5. Richard is an integral part of our Sports Performance department and has demonstrated his willingness to go above and beyond for the school, his colleagues, and his athletes

Nomination of John McWilliams

It is a great honor for The University of Alabama Strength and Conditioning Staff to nominate John McWilliams-Jr for the CSCCa Lance Vermeil Award. John joined our staff at Alabama in the summer of 2015 as a volunteer intern after the completion of his undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology from Valdosta State University, where he was also a member of the football team. His experience, work ethic and leadership skills have proved invaluable to our staff and more importantly, our athletes.

Strength and conditioning has been a passion for John since he was in high school. He interned and volunteered several years while playing college football at Valdosta State. Following graduation, he attained his CSCS and he plans on acquiring the SCCC this coming May. John's certifications are examples of his dedication to learning and growing in the field of strength and conditioning. He applies what he learns every day as he assists with several of Alabama's sports teams including: football, softball, track and field, women's rowing and men's cheerleading.

There are many of us who have had the privilege of mentoring and supervising John's progress and efforts in assisting the strength and conditioning department. His roles extend as far as programming all aspects of men's cheerleading, centered on effort, toughness, discipline, commitment and pride. These aspects of training are yielding tremendous results in the strength, power and team buy-in. In addition to his current role as volunteer, John attends graduate school and is majoring in Exercise Science with expected graduation date August 2016. He successfully balances his time and resources to maintain a 4.0 GPA.

John's desire to learn and grow serves as an example for our volunteers while he has taken over the role as leader of our Intern/volunteer group. At the beginning of each semester, he teaches and coaches new interns the technique of weightlifting. This is done through day to day programming and coaching. Lifts include: the Olympic lifts and their variations and the power lifts, i.e. bench, squat, and deadlift. His influence on the interns is only matched by his influence on the athletes. John McWilliams has been an amazing addition to our program here at The University of Alabama and we highly recommend him for the CSCCa Lance Vermeil Award. It would be our pleasure to answer any questions in regards to his work and credentials.

Nomination of Natalie Kollars

It is with great pleasure that the Olympic Sports Performance staff at the University of Louisville nominates Natalie Kollars for the 2015 Lance Vermeil Award.

Natalie joined our staff in July of 2014 and is currently completing the first of two years as our Graduate Assistant while pursuing a Master's degree in exercise physiology. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, where she was a five-year member of the women's soccer team. At McMaster, she served as the team captain for three seasons, leading team warm-ups, cool-downs, as well as off-season lifting and conditioning workouts. In addition, she still holds five all-time soccer performance testing records at the school. As an undergrad, she gained valuable experience working in the McMaster Sports Medicine Clinic and High Performance Center, as well as serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the Hamilton FC women's semi-professional soccer team in Hamilton, Ontario.

In Summer 2013, Natalie was selected for a highly competitive internship position with EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance). Due to her exemplary performance, she was asked to serve as an assistant coach at EXOS during the 2014 NFL Combine Preparation Program, where she contributed to the planning and execution of the performance testing and training of 25 aspiring NFL draftees.

In Summer 2014, Natalie arrived in Louisville and immediately made her presence known. As our lone GA she plays an integral role in all aspects of our Sports Performance program. As a young coach, Natalie possesses the rare combination of intelligence, experience, coaching presence, work ethic, enthusiasm, and ability to relate to athletes. She is the first person in/last person to leave each day, while balancing challenging graduate coursework, significant coaching responsibilities, completion of our demanding internship curriculum, and preparation for the SCCC. And, she does everything she does with a smile on her face and the highest level of enthusiasm and positivity.

This year Natalie was given the primary coaching role with our men's and women's diving programs- a rare responsibility for a first year graduate student in our program. This assignment speaks strongly to her coaching capabilities, and the trust she has earned with the Performance staff.

In addition, and perhaps most importantly, is the quality of Natalie's character. After losing her mother to pancreatic cancer three years ago, she and her siblings created a charity to raise money for cancer research. Through their tireless efforts over the past three years they have single-handedly raised over $50,000 for the cause. Despite her age, she is more charitable than most will be in a lifetime.

As a young female in this profession, Natalie has an extremely bright future and exemplifies all the qualities of a Lance Vermeil Award candidate. We are fortunate to have her represent the University of Louisville, and she has the full support and wholehearted recommendation of the entire Louisville Sports Performance staff.

Nomination of Alex Kloss

Bill Maxwell, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, University of Iowa

I would like to recommend Alex Kloss from the University of Iowa for the Lance Vermeil Scholarship. Lance Vermeil worked for me and had a big impact on my life. Lance always wanted to be a part of the team and help someone. Sometimes we struggled as a staff trying to discover the best method to help people. I realized after Lance passed away that communication is vital and a change in presentation goes a long way to build great relationships. My focus changed and started to look at what does the person need and how can I present it better to open up dialogue. Our staff does this with the interns, student-athletes, coaches and administrators. Some people embrace it to a higher degree and Alex is one of those people.

Alex graduated in August 2013 and spent this past year volunteering for our strength and conditioning program. He performs many side jobs just to practice his craft and assist our student-athletes. Our intern program at Iowa focuses on building coaches that can develop and implement programs. Many training principles are emphasized but most important is the way you present things to your student-athlete/coach/administrator for the sake of building a partnership. Alex has embraced this concept and has worked his way up to be our lead intern. He leads 7 interns and many of the work assignments. His presence with teams and our staff is like having another full-time staff member. Alex plans to attend graduate school and become a collegiate strength and conditioning coach.

Nomination of Taylor Jones

Al Vermeil, the father of Lance and a 2007 Legend in the Field of Strength and Conditioning, presented the 2013 Lance Vermeil Scholarship Award to Taylor Jones, from Coastal Carolina University, at the Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches Dinner and Ceremony on Thursday, May 9th, at the 2013 CSCCa Annual National Conference in Orlando, Florida. He was nominated by Coach Josh Stoner, Director of Speed, Strength, & Conditioning, Coastal Carolina University.

Taylor came to Coastal Carolina University after serving as a volunteer intern for the University of Maryland Football program for Winter/Spring 2012. Prior to that, he was a volunteer intern at the University of Missouri for the Winter/ Spring 2011. He has worked in private sector training, as well as participating as a volunteer in athletic performance youth clinics. Taylor created the 1st Annual Stephen F. Zuraw Youth Athletic Development and Football Clinic on July 16th and 17th of 2011. The Clinic was in memory of his best friend who passed away in 2009. He graduated from Springfield College majoring in Exercise Science with a concentration in Strength & Conditioning. He was an active member of the Exercise Science and Powerlifting clubs, as well. At Springfield, he played football while committing volunteer hours in his hometown of Ansonia, CT at the middle and high school levels as a defensive coach and strength coach.

At Coastal, Taylor works with Baseball, Volleyball, Men's Tennis, and Women's Lacrosse. He brings an energetic and educated approach to their training. These athletes give great effort as a result. He understands the unique positioning of the Strength & Conditioning professional to be able to integrate training, nutrition, recovery, and the mental aspects of performance.

Taylor's passion and commitment to the profession is undeniable. He works hard every day, makes no excuses, and provides a role model for the athletes. He is a great teammate as he sets a high standard for himself and expects and helps others to attain this as well. He works hard to accomplish the mission to provide the best possible for the University's athletes as he makes decisions with their best interest in mind at all times. Taylor will be an excellent professional for years and years to come.

Nomination of Trevor Williams

Trevor Williams, a part-time strength and conditioning coach at Georgetown University, was selected as the first recipient of the Lance Vermeil Scholarship Award Thursday evening, May 10, at the 12th annual national conference of the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa) in Orlando, Florida. Coach Williams was nominated by his mentor, Mike Hill, Director of Sports Performance at Georgetown University, as an individual who has demonstrated that he possesses the outstanding qualities and skills necessary to be a successful and effective strength and conditioning coach, and as one who has demonstrated tremendous potential and proclivity for this unique profession. Al Vermeil, the father of Lance Vermeil and who was recognized as a Legend in the Field of Strength and Conditioning by the CSCCa in 2007, presented the award.

Trevor came to Georgetown in 2011 to complete an Internship through the CSCCa. After he successfully passed the 2011 SCCC certification exam, the University created a Part-Time Strength Coach position to retain his qualities. Trevor has been working with Georgetown University on a 10 hour/week pay scale but puts in an additional 30+ hours of his own time for the love of the profession. He has worked with all 29 sports at Georgetown but has been awarded the Head Strength Coach position for 4 sports in addition to assisting with Men's/Women's Basketball and Football. His passion for the profession has led him to create a whole new look for the GU Iron Hoyas Department, and he has created an outreach program working with local organizations and their strength training. His most recent endeavor was with the Fort Meyer Arlington Cemetery Honor Guard Platoon members who guard the tombs of the Unknown Soldiers and various events.

Trevor has also coordinated other outreach programs with the Fairfax County Virginia SWAT Team, the Fairfax County Organized Crime and Narcotics Division of the Special Crimes Unit, and Wounded Warriors, as well as creating the Iron Hoyas Youtube webpage. Trevor has personified what the Strength and Conditioning Coach profession has come to in that he has been working multiple jobs and hours for the love of helping athletes reach their potential and to gain a Collegiate Strength Coach position. He has built himself into the GU Athletic Department as a full-time Coach even though he is still paid part-time wages.

Honored at the 2012 CSCCa National Conference

Don Decker, Master Strength and Conditioning Coach, presented the 2012 John Stucky Award at the MSCC Dinner and Ceremony, May 10, 2012.

Stephanie Leonard was mentored by Coach Rod Cole, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Tarleton State University.

Phillip Brown was mentored by Greg Werner, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at James Madison University.

Cara Van Dorn was mentored by Drew Kramer, Director of Strength and Conditioning Coach at Western Illinois University.

Shepard Allen was mentored by Michael Doscher, Head Speed, Strength and Conditioning Coach at Valdosta State University.

Honored at the 2011 CSCCa National Conference

Rob Oviatt, past president of the CSCCa, presented the 2011 John Stucky Award at the MSCC Dinner and Ceremony, May 5, 2011

Alexandria Boyd was mentored by Coach Eric Cash, Director of Strength and Conditioning, at Eastern Illinois University.

Matt Shadeed was mentored by Coach Melissa Moore, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Louisiana State University.

Ramy Mosbah was mentored by Coach Joshua Stoner, Director of Strength and Conditioning Coach, at the University of Missouri.

Gary Beemer was mentored by Coach Mickey Marotti, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Florida.

Honored at the 2010 CSCCa National Conference

Rob Oviatt, past president of the CSCCa, presented the 2010 John Stucky Award at the MSCC Dinner and Ceremony, May 6, 2010

Ryan Davis was mentored by Coach Kent Morgan, Director of Strength and Conditioning Coach, at the University of West Florida.

Keith Belton was mentored by Coach Ethan Reeve, Director of Strength and Conditioning, at Wake Forest University.

Sam Clyde was also mentored by Coach Stephanie Tracy-Simmons, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Olympic Sports, at the University of Kentucky.

Honored at the 2009 CSCCa National Conference

Rob Oviatt, past president of the CSCCa, presented the 2009 John Stucky Award at the MSCC Dinner and Ceremony, May 7, 2009

Megan Young was mentored by Coach Kevin Yoxall, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Football, at Auburn University.

John Patten, III was mentored by Sonny Falcone, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, at Duke University.

Carrie McCambridge was also mentored by Coach Kevin Yoxall, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Football, at Auburn University and by Bryan Karkoska, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Olympic Sports, at Auburn University.

Honored at the 2008 CSCCa National Conference

Callye Williams, mentored by Ben Pollard at Mississippi State University, Andrew Paul, mentored by Josh Stoner at the University of Missouri, and Rudy Thomas, mentored by Todd Smith at Marquette University (pictured with Rudy), were presented with the 2008 John Stucky Award, for outstanding performance on the practical portion of the CSCCa Certification Examination, by Johnny Long, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Tennessee.

Honored at the 2007 CSCCa National Conference

Michelle Clayton-Boswell was mentored by Coach Mike Golden, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, at East Carolina University.

Andrea (Thornton) Montague was mentored by Rob Oviatt, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, at Washington State University.

Honored at the 2006 CSCCa National Conference

Anne Tamporello was mentored by Coach Allen Kinley, Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic and Team Sports, at Texas A&M University.

Honored at the 2005 CSCCa National Conference

Jana Heitmeyer was mentored by Coach Pat Ivey, Director of Athletic Performance, at the University of Missouri.