Susquehanna University Athletics

Staff
The strength & conditioning staff personally oversees the development of each student-athlete, stressing an intensive, physical program that leads to success and confidence on and off the playing field.

• Matt Heintzelman | Head Strength & Conditioning Coach | heintzelmanmr@susqu.edu
• Denny Bowers | Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach | bowers@susqu.edu | 570-372-4417

Strength & Conditioning Program
Here's what you can expect from our strength and conditioning program as a student-athlete: 

• Goal Setting and Sport-Specific Training: Our staff will help you set personalized training goals. Each program is tailored to your sport, focusing on the skills and fitness you need to excel. 
• Comprehensive Components: Your training will include strength, speed, agility, conditioning, flexibility, and movement. You'll also receive guidance on nutrition to maximize your performance. 
• Personalized Testing and Progress Tracking: We'll use regular testing to measure your physical development. Your progress will be carefully monitored every day using advanced computer technology. 
• Year-Round Support: The program is divided into preseason, in-season, and off-season phases to match your athletic schedule. Preseason and off-season programs are intensive, while in-season training is lighter to accommodate your competition schedule. 

River Hawks Nutrition
Nutrition plays a vital role in every student-athlete's success. Understanding how much and what to eat is essential for maintaining peak performance. Our strength and conditioning staff provides ongoing education on making smart nutritional choices, with a special focus on the unique demands of the competitive season. This guidance ensures you have the fuel needed to perform your best and recover effectively.

Our Commitment
Player Safety:
Player safety is of the utmost importance to the strength & conditioning staff. We accomplish this through proper exercise selection, proper spotting techniques, and diligent coaching and instruction of all movements performed by every student-athlete.

Competition:
All training sessions will have some form of competition. These daily competitions drive our athletes to achieve higher levels of success knowing that their performance has implications for their team.

Challenges:
Daily challenges will occur during all training sessions. While typically simple in nature, these tasks challenge our athletes to remain focused and work together amid fatigue.

Exciting Training Environment:
Bringing great energy to a training session is 100% within your control; therefore, all athletes and coaches will be expected to show great excitement to have the opportunity to train.

Variety:
To avoid becoming stagnant, training will be varied on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. While key movements will be constant in the program, various components such as exercise selection, load, volume, and tempo will be changed every training session.

Mental Toughness:
By executing daily mundane tasks at a high level and being able to persevere through adversity, our athletes will develop an unquestionable level of mental toughness that will translate to on-field success.