Northwestern University Athletics
Schweigert Named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by CSCCa
5/24/2018 8:52:00 AM | General
FORT WORTH, Texas — Northwestern assistant director of sports performance Mike Schweigert was named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa). The honor is the highest given in the strength and conditioning coaching profession.
Northwestern Assistant A.D. for Sports Performance and Master Strength and Conditioning Coach Jason Pullara presented Schweigert with the blue MSCC jacket at the ceremony.
"This is a great honor within our organization, but I consider myself very lucky," said Schweigert. "I have been surrounded by great people everywhere I have worked and I have been fortunate at Northwestern to work and learn from Jason Pullara and his Olympic performance staff as well as Jay Hooten and his football performance staff. It has been an honor to work with great sport coaches and administrators from men's basketball, men's and women's golf, and football who driven my development as a person and a coach. I hope to continue to hone my coaching skills and set a good example for our younger coaches to follow."
"This is an incredible honor for Michael," said CSCCa Executive Director, Dr. Chuck Stiggins. "Being named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach signifies a commitment to the student-athlete, the Northwestern University program, and the strength and conditioning profession. We are honored to have Coach Schweigert as a member of our association and to have him join the ranks of the Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches. He is truly a model of an outstanding strength and conditioning professional."
Prior to coming to Northwestern in 2010, Schweigert worked at the University of Georgia as a Graduate Assistant in Strength and Conditioning in 2005 before being promoted to full-time status in 2006. While with the Bulldogs, Schweigert oversaw the strength and conditioning programs for men's basketball, women's volleyball and the men's and women's track and field teams.
A native of the suburban Chicago town of Niles, Ill., Schweigert is a graduate of Notre Dame High School for Boys where he played football, basketball and volleyball. Schweigert is a 2003 graduate of Indiana University where he played club lacrosse for one season in 1999 before focusing on his studies. In 2003 he earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis as a Fitness Specialist. While at IU he served as an intern in the Hoosiers' strength and conditioning department where he worked directly with the men's basketball, women's volleyball and men's and women's track and field teams.
Upon graduation from Indiana, Schweigert returned close to home for eight months as a Strength and Conditioning intern with the Chicago Bulls basketball club, where he worked with strength coaches Al Vermeil, Erik Helland, and Jeff Macy.
In August of 2004, he left the Bulls to become a strength & conditioning graduate assistant at Northern Illinois University. While in DeKalb, Schweigert supervised the training of several Huskie sports, including women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's & women's golf, as well as assisting with football.
Schweigert is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified with the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. He also holds certifications from the Functional Movement Screen, and the American Heart Association (CPR, AED, and First Aid).
"I am extremely grateful to Katrin Koch, Geoff Eliason, and Jason Dierking for giving me my start at Indiana," said Schweigert. I appreciate the tough love from Jeff Macy and Erik Hellend at the Chicago Bulls and the above and beyond mentorship from Matt Mangum, Chad Bower and Tim Rabas at Northern Illinois. I would not be where I am without my personal growth from Jeremy Heffner and Josh Rucci at Georgia and my professional growth with the Northwestern staff. Thank you to my parents for showing unwavering love and support."
In order to receive this certification and corresponding title of distinction, an individual must first meet the following criteria:
1) Hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree;
2) Be a currently practicing, full-time strength & conditioning coach on the collegiate or professional level;
3) Hold current membership in the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa);
4) Hold the CSCCa Certification – SCCC (Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified); and
5) Have a minimum of 12 years experience as a full-time strength and conditioning coach on the collegiate and/or professional level.
Eighteen collegiate strength & conditioning coaches received the prestigious title of Master Strength & Conditioning Coach at the 2018 MSCC Ceremony: Michael Schweigert (Northwestern University); John D. Ciani (University of New Hampshire); Tyler Clarke (Vanderbilt University); Michelle Diltz (University of Alabama); Jon-Michael Davis (Eastern Kentucky University); Lou Hernandez (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill); Travis Illian (Southern Utah University); Derrick Jenkins (University of Texas at San Antonio); Kaz Kazadi (Southern Methodist University); Jim Kramer (North Dakota State University); James Krumpos (University of Arizona); Johnny Long (Carson Newman University); Timothy Mullen (Harvard University); Kelly Powers (University of Cincinnati); Joshua Storms (University of Memphis); Joel Tudman (Oklahoma State University); Curtis Turner (Georgia Institute of Technology); and Matthew Turner (University of Mississippi). These 18 coaches joined the existing 180 Master Strength & Conditioning Coaches, bringing the total number of MSCC's to 198.
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