Assistant Athletic Director, University of Tennessee
Heather Mason is in her 13th year in the strength and conditioning profession and her sixth year as the head strength and conditioning coach for the women's athletics department at the University of Tennessee, where she is responsible for all facets of training 11 Lady Vol teams. She was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for strength and conditioning in June 2008.
Her rise to a leadership post in the UT athletic department came as no surprise. Under her guidance, the Lady Vol strength program has prepared Lady Vol Athletics to perform among the nation's best. Mentored by current University of Florida Director of Strength and Conditioning, Mickey Marotti, at both Cincinnati and Notre Dame, Mason has now developed an excellent staff at UT. Under her tutelage, Collin Schlosser has been promoted to an associate head coach while Jessica and Kristen Kinder have risen from graduate assistants to full-time staffers.
Mason and her group instill "The Tennessee Way" everyday in workouts. She expects the Lady Vol student-athletes to display discipline, integrity, and pride in their strength and conditioning efforts in the hopes of excelling at the highest level of competition. Her innovative drills and workouts have been lauded by the Tennessee coaching staff. More than one staff member and Lady Vol athlete has remarked, "if you have it in you, Heather will find a way to maximize it." More importantly, she and her staff are committed to excellence and creating a consistent, intense training environment.
Mason attained a Bachelors of Science in Biology from the University of Cincinnati and was a four year letter winner and 1994 co-captain for the Cincinnati Bearcat Volleyball team. During her undergraduate studies, she earned Great Midwest Conference All-Academic team honors. In 1998, Mason graduated with a Master of Education Degree in Sports Administration from Xavier (Ohio) University and completed the Sports Management Institute Executive Program in 2003. She is certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association. The Wheelersburg, Ohio native came to Tennessee after a five-year stint at the University of Notre Dame and two years at her alma mater, Cincinnati.
