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Zach Russell

Zach Russell joins Sports Performance department as Assistant Coach

1/31/2023 12:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo.—Fort Lewis College athletics, in partnership with Centura Health, has announced the addition of Zach Russell to the Sports Performance team as the department's first Assistant Sports Performance Coach. Russell will work directly with Alec Munro, the Director of Sports Performance, who was named to the role in 2021.

"The addition of Zach shows that there is tremendous growth for the student-athletes here at Fort Lewis College and the Sports Performance department," said Alec Munro, Director of Sports Performance. "Moving from one to two Sports Performance coaches will drastically increase the opportunity for the development of our athletes. Hiring somebody who has been involved as an intern for the past year helps us to trust and understand that he's going to be a valued member of the team."

Russell, a member of the Skyhawks football team from 2019-2022, began his work with Munro in January 2022 as an intern and went on to earn his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification in August 2022. In his new role, he will directly oversee the men's soccer, women's lacrosse, and softball programs. While working with his designated teams, Russell will take ownership in leading, developing, and implementing program designs such as strength, power, and speed training, as well as injury prevention techniques.

In addition, in conjunction with Centura Health, he will assist with Mercy Sports Medicine wellness tasks like group and one on one training while partaking in weekly Mercy Sports Medicine and Fort Lewis College meetings and administrative tasks.

"I've been at Fort Lewis for over four years, and I'm excited to be part of what we are building and the foundation that we are laying for future student-athletes," said Russell. "My experience as a student-athlete will allow me to relate well to our athletes within my role. I can bring a level of trust and comfort while also being approachable—I'm looking forward to the future."

The addition of Russell to the Sports Performance department is a major step in expanding the offerings to Skyhawks student-athletes and comes at a particularly crucial time in preparation for the Centura Sports Performance Center which is set to break ground this spring. In December, it was announced that Centura Health committed $4 million to support Fort Lewis College for a 10,000-square-foot renovation of the Aquatics Center to transform the space into a cutting-edge performance, rehab, and wellness center for student-athletes and students.

"We can't thank Mercy and FLC enough for coming together to make this position possible. Without the support of both programs this would have been nearly impossible," recognized Munro. "We have goals for continuing to grow the Sports Performance program with additional staff while extending our offerings to incorporate sports nutrition to the student-athletes. Additionally, we are going to continue to strive and push our internship program forward to find new positions and get the support they need. We want to give the best possible overall experience to the student-athletes here, and this is a huge step in the right direction."
 
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