Coach Illian

Coach Illian, or Coach I, has been a collegiate strength and conditioning coach for over 20 years with stops at Texas Christian Univeristy, Mississippi State University, The University of Alabama, The University of Connecticut, and Southern Utah University.  As a strength and conditioning coach, he has been a part of five NCAA National Championship teams including the UCONN men's basketball team, Alabama football team, and Alabama women's gymnastic teams. 

Coach Illian currently serves as an assistant athletic director for sports performance at Southern Utah University where he has developed training programs for the Thunderbird football, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s track & field, men's and women's cross country, women’s volleyball, and women’s soccer, and women's gymnastics programs. Coach Illian helped the men’s and women’s cross country teams achieve Big Sky Championships as well as helping the men’s basketball team win their first ever conference championship. He also served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Lady Thunderbirds basketball team as they won the WAC conference title and made their first ever NCAA tournament appearance and helped the Flippin' Birds to a Mountain Rim Conference title.

Illian received a Bachelor of Science from Texas Lutheran University, before receiving both a Master's Degree and a Ph.D. in Human Performance from the University of Alabama. Illian completed his doctoral program in 2011. 

He is looking forward to being part of the Cedar High sprint team and helping athletes get faster and stronger.  His passion is teaching athletes how to improve their training habits and create consistency over time.