DAY NAMED IUP STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) director of athletics Todd Garzarelli announced Monday that Robert Day is named the next head strength & conditioning coach with the Crimson Hawks.

Day arrives at IUP following a stint in the same role at Robert Morris University, serving as the head strength & conditioning coach with the Colonials since August 2018. Recently working as a volunteer with the Penn State football program in 2023, Day returns to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to work with the 19 varsity NCAA DII programs at IUP, officially beginning his duties in August 2023.

Day is a certified strength & conditioning coach with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA), USA Weightlifting, FMS and Precision Nutrition. He replaces former IUP head strength & conditioning coach Mitch Zajicek, who left to pursue a strength position outside of athletics in the summer of 2023.

“We are pleased to bring a candidate of Robert’s caliber and expertise to our department as the leader of the strength & conditioning program,” Garzarelli said. “Rob’s experience in working with championship programs and support of the student-athlete experience will help us build upon our foundation of a championship culture.”

Day previously worked at fellow PSAC institution Shippensburg for one year as the head coach with the 20 NCAA DII programs in the department. He also worked at PSAC East institution Millersville, heading up the strength & conditioning efforts for the school’s 18 NCAA DII programs.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to contribute to IUP winning tradition and help elevate the athletics to new heights,” Day said. “I’d like to thank Mr. Garazelli for entrusting me with this position. I’m strongly looking forward to hitting the ground running working with all the student-athletes.”

Day has also had head strength & conditioning stops at NCAA DIII institutions Rosemont College (2013-14), Albright College (2014-15) and York (Pa.) College (2015-16).

Day graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Lynchburg in 2012, later earning a master’s degree from Lock Haven in sport and exercise physiology in 2017. He started his professional tenure as a student assistant at Lynchburg, before working as an intern at Villanova University (2014) and a volunteer assistant at Mount St. Mary’s (2017) and the University of Delaware (2018).