Wayne State College athletic director Mike Powicki announced the hiring of Grant Darnell as the school’s first-ever head strength and conditioning coach.
“The hiring of our first-ever head strength and conditioning coach is a tremendous step forward for Wildcat athletics,” Powicki said. “Not only do we expect to experience significant improvements in athletic development and performance, but with injury prevention as well. We are extremely excited to have Coach Darnell join Wayne State athletics. His enthusiasm, expertise and knowledge will truly be a benefit to all of our programs and student-athletes moving forward.”
Darnell comes to Wayne State after serving the past year as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Kent State University in Ohio where he was head strength coach for men’s and women’s track and field and was the lead assistant strength coach for men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, wrestling, gymnastics and golf and was the top assistant with design and implementation of football training.
Other experience Darnell brings to Wayne State includes 18 months as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana Monroe and eight months as volunteer assistant strength and conditioning coach at Murray State University in Kentucky.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to be the first-ever head strength and conditioning coach at Wayne State,” said Darnell. “To have the chance to build a department from the ground up is a rare opportunity. Mr. Powicki and I share the same vision for Wayne State’s student athletes. I will have the opportunity to work with all teams and student-athletes in an amazing facility. I truly believe in developing student athletes as both people and athletes. Working with and developing so many athletes the strength and conditioning department will be making a campus-wide impact.”
Darnell is CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) and NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) certified. He received a bachelor of art degree in recreation, tourism and sports management at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky in 2013 and obtained his master’s degree in exercise science and sport management from Louisiana Monroe in 2015.
