University of Dayton:

Internship Experience

University of dayton: Internship experience

11/05/2025

Introduction

During the summer of 2025, I completed a strength and conditioning internship at the University of Dayton, where I worked directly with Division I athletes across multiple sports. This experience became one of my most rewarding Honors opportunities because it challenged me to grow as both a coach and a professional. I was immersed in the daily rhythm of a high-level collegiate weight room, from early morning lift groups to team-specific training sessions, and I gained firsthand exposure to the culture, demands, and pace of performance coaching at the NCAA Division 1 level.

Under the guidance of UD's Director of Strength & Conditioning, Mark Thobe, I designed and implemented training programs, while also reflecting critically on the programming techniques I observed from experienced coaches. I was able to work with teams I had never coached before, which pushed me to adapt quickly, strengthen my communication skills, and apply theoretical knowledge in new circumstances. In addition, I created a professional blog post that translated key concepts from my experience into accessible insights for a broader audience. Together, these artefacts highlight how this internship expanded my technical expertise, my leadership abilities, and my confidence as a developing strength and conditioning professional.

One of UD's premier athletics facilities, Hausfeld Court in the Frerick's Center

Artifact 1: Programming for Dayton Athletes

As part of my internship, I was responsible for developing and adapting training sessions for the University of Dayton athletes in their off-season. This included warm-ups, lifting progressions, and artefact on the conditioning. The artefact to the right exhibits a sample of the programming I created, which reflects my ability to apply sports science principles, tailor sessions to seasonal needs, and design workouts that balance performance development with injury prevention.

The carousel contains screenshots of a sample, triphasic block written for out-of-season athletes at UD.
Exercises and rep schemes were adapted to different sports and athlete readiness levels.
Integrated cues and feedback from senior coaches into my own designs.
Built upon my personal experience as an athlete and coach in the triphasic training method to reapply in new circumstances.
Gained an appreciation for how programming connects to larger year-round planning.

Artifact 2: Programming for Dayton Athletes

One of the most rewarding aspects of my Dayton internship was exposure to advanced training strategies I had never encountered before. In particular, I learned about 3-point yielding isometrics and the broader distinction between yielding vs. overcoming isometrics, as well as the application of accentuated eccentric overload. These methods challenged me to expand my coaching perspective and deepen my understanding of how different types of muscular contractions contribute to performance and adaptation.

3-Point isometric

3-point isometrics build on the principle of isometric contractions: the contraction of a muscle without any lengthening or shortening. In this instance, a typical backsquat is broken down into three positions, which are held isometrically for prescribed periods of time. This strengthens muscles at different joint angles and builds physiological resilience to time under tension/resistance.

Accentuated eccentric loading

Accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) fixates upon the eccentric portion of a movement, in which a muscle group is lengthening. Within a back squat, the quadriceps and gluteal muscles are lengthening on the downward portion. The body is generally stronger eccentrically than concentrically (where muscles are shortening), and AEL takes advantage of these muscular characteristics to overload the body where it is strongest.

Key takeaways:

Developed awareness of the difference between yielding and overcoming isometrics.
Practised implementing 3-point yielding protocols into off-season programming
Learned how eccentric overload can improve physical resilience and take advantage of muscle contraction characteristics
Connected these methods to broader seasonal programming goals
Gained confidence applying techniques that previously felt advanced or unfamiliar.

Artifact 3: Reflection on programming for new sports

As an NCAA soccer player myself, I entered the University of Dayton internship with a deep understanding of soccer performance rooted in my own training. However, I was assigned to assist with volleyball and American football teams; two sports that pushed me to broaden my coaching perspective. Each team presented unique physical and technical demands, and this experience required me to adapt quickly, learn new sport-specific protocols, and develop a more versatile coaching identity.

This background gave me confidence when working with Dayton’s soccer athletes, but my internship assignments quickly expanded beyond that familiar territory. This presented a steep but valuable learning curve, one that forced me to broaden my perspective as a coach and build greater adaptability.

For volleyball, the demands centred heavily around explosiveness, vertical jump capacity, and shoulder health. I found myself focusing on lower-body power development, particularly plyometrics, Olympic lift variations, and positional strength work that would support repeated jumps at high intensity. We included regular contrast-jump protocols in each session. This unfamiliar territory drove me to consider the technical aspects of training more deeply, as well as how I adjusted my communication style to resonate with athletes whose training goals differed from mine as a soccer player.

In contrast, American football introduced me to the size, maximal strength, and contact preparation requirements of a sport with entirely different demands. Working with this group challenged me to shift from a more technical focus to an energy and coaching-quality focus. Intrinsically, football players tend to have ample motivation and excitement to lift, so aligning that with the weight room culture was essential. Their training framework emphasised raw power, strength development, and body armour strategies for injury resilience, particularly during the off-season period.

Through these assignments, I developed five critical takeaways that have already reshaped my coaching approach:

I learned to adjust programming for explosive vertical power in volleyball athletes, particularly in the context of high-volume repetitive jumping.
I gained a deeper understanding of the unique strength and size demands of American football and how positional requirements influence programming.
I strengthened my ability to communicate effectively with athletes outside of my own sport, ensuring cues and feedback were clear and relevant.
I developed adaptability in both exercise selection and coaching style, recognising that different sports require different approaches to achieve peak performance.
I built confidence working across unfamiliar environments, which gave me a more versatile coaching identity and greater trust in my ability to serve diverse athlete populations.

This artefact represents more than just exposure to two new sports. It reflects upon the process of stepping outside my comfort zone and evolving as a strength and conditioning coach. By learning to support athletes whose demands were radically different from soccer, I proved that my skills are transferable, my communication can adapt, and my programming can stretch to meet the needs of any team or athlete

Artifact 4: Relationships built with athletes

Beyond the technical training and programming, one of the most meaningful aspects of my University of Dayton internship was the opportunity to build authentic relationships with the athletes I coached. In a Division I environment, trust and communication between athletes and coaches are just as critical as sets and reps. Over the course of the internship, I worked consistently with multiple teams, and I began to see how small, everyday interactions helped foster a positive training culture. Encouraging an athlete during a tough session, offering an adjustment to improve technique, or simply asking about their day allowed me to build personal relationships that deepened the trust they had in me as a coach.

The visuals to the right include some of the athletes I got to know best during my time at Dayton, including the men's soccer players, with whom I had the opportunity to play against in August 2025 as the IU Indianapolis Jaguars travelled to UD to take on the Flyers in a preseason exhibition game.

Through these relationships, I took away five key lessons:

Building rapport and trust is foundational to effective coaching.
Athletes respond best when they know you value them as individuals first, sportsmen/women second.
Clear, respectful communication strengthens the coach-athlete relationship.
Creating a positive and personal culture in the weight room can enhance both motivation and performance.
Developing interpersonal connections reminded me that coaching is ultimately a people-first profession, not just a science of training.

Skill development, competencies & reflection

My internship at the University of Dayton represents one of the most impactful Honors experiences of my undergraduate career, as it developed both the technical expertise and the interpersonal competencies that define effective strength and conditioning professionals. Throughout the summer, I not only gained knowledge of advanced training methods but also learned how to connect with athletes, adapt to different sports, and communicate effectively as a leader.

The programming I created for Dayton athletes strengthened my ability to design structured, progressive workouts grounded in sport science. I learned how to balance strength, power, and conditioning within the limited training windows available to Division I athletes, and I discovered how even small programming details can influence an athlete's performance and safety. This artefact reflects my growth as both a planner and a problem solver.

Exposure to new training techniques, such as 3-point yielding, isometrics and accentuated eccentric overload, expanded my technical vocabulary and gave me the confidence to lean into with methods that were unfamiliar to me before this experience. These skills reflect not just knowledge, but a mindset of curiosity, innovation, and openness to continuous learning.

Working with sports outside of soccer, specifically volleyball and American football, was another significant learning opportunity. I developed adaptability by observing new performance demands, learning to modify exercise selections, and practising effective communication with athletes whose goals differed significantly from those I was most familiar with. This reinforced that versatility is a core competency for any strength and conditioning coach.

Perhaps the most sentimental growth came from the relationships I built with athletes. Through consistent interaction, encouragement, and genuine care, I learned how trust fuels motivation and performance. Coaching is more than sets and reps. It's about listening, communicating clearly, and making athletes feel valued. These interpersonal skills represent leadership in its most valid form.

Taken together, these experiences advanced my career competencies in teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and leadership. They also reflect the core values of Honors: engaged learning, innovation, and community contribution. This internship demonstrated that I can effectively combine scholarship, technical coaching, and human connection in ways that have a lasting impact. It not only affirmed my career path in strength and conditioning but also challenged me to pursue future opportunities with confidence and a commitment to growth.

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