Raising the Bar: A Round Table Discussion on the Cares & Concerns of the Small College
Biography:
Zach Mathers (ATC, LAT, CSCS) joined the University of Sioux Falls athletics staff in the spring of 2010 as the head strength and conditioning coach and head athletic trainer. Mathers oversees all aspects of strength & conditioning and athletic training for all sports at USF. Mathers is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), The Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA), and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) licensed in both Iowa and South Dakota and is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) along with being a certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Mathers received national recognition in his first season with USF. Following a fall season that saw the Cougar football program go 13-1 to finish as the national runner-up, he was named the Samson Equipment/American Football Monthly "Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year". The award is given to a coach at the NFL, college and high school levels, with Mathers receiving the 2010 award for the NAIA.
Before USF, Mathers was in Sioux City, Iowa, where he served as the Director of Power and Performance Programs from 2000-2010. He was also an athletic trainer at the Center for Neurosciences, Orthopedics, and Spine (CNOS) in Dakota Dunes, SD.
At CNOS Mathers was responsible for designing and implementing strength and conditioning programs for as many as 20 different high school and college strength and conditioning program while overseeing a staff of 12 coaches. Under his tutelage, Mathers assisted in helping several high school athletes in the Siouxland area receive Division I scholarships in multiple sports and also played a very active role in helping several teams win state and national recognition at both the high school and collegiate level. During this time, Mathers also provided athletic training coverage to several different schools dealing with all aspects of sports medicine care.
Mathers is a native of Correctionville, Iowa, and a graduate of Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School in Iowa.
He received his BS from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, in Exercise Science with an Emphasis on Athletic Training. He was a 3 year starter and team captain in football at BVU and also was a member of five school-record relay teams. Mathers now resides in Sioux Falls, SD.
Presentation Summary: Coaches from Divisions I FCS, II, and III will be featured at this round table and will be discussing 3-5 issues that small schools face in their strength & conditioning programs.
