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
.
