COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Augustana assistant strength and conditioning coach Andy Stocks has been named the 2021 Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) announced Thursday. 
 
Stocks is the first non-Division I coach to earn the honor from the NSCA, which dates back to 2012. 
 
"We know how important our strength & conditioning program and coaches are to the success of our athletes," Augustana Director of Athletics Josh Morton said. "Coach Stocks is very deserving of this award and it serves as a symbol of his dedication to helping build champions at Augustana."
 
Coach Stocks, hailing from Jackson, Wisconsin, joined Augustana University in July 2015 as assistant strength and conditioning coach and is responsible for all aspects of the strength and conditioning program for softball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, and swimming while assisting with football.

"Andy's work ethic and knowledge has been invaluable to our program," Augustana head strength & conditioning coach Brett Chambers said. "But it's the relationships that he is able to build with his athletes that sets him apart."
 
In his time at Augustana, Coach Stocks has been the strength and conditioning coach for two NCAA Division II National Championships, 17 All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans, 13 NSIC MVP's and two NSIC Tournament Champions. 
 
Stocks arrived in Sioux Falls after spending over a year at the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York, where he designed and implemented strength and speed programs for bobsled, skeleton, luge and biathlon athletes. 
 
From 2011 through 2013, Stocks served as a graduate assistant at South Dakota State where he oversaw strength and conditioning for swimming and diving, wrestling, golf and tennis while also working with all 21 Jackrabbit athletic teams. He earned his master's degree in nutrition, exercise and food sciences.
 
A 2010 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Stocks obtained his bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science with concentrations in strength and conditioning. While at La Crosse, he assisted the strength and conditioning staff with all 17 varsity teams and was a member of the Eagles weightlifting club. 
 
About the NSCA
Award winners are selected by the NSCA's Coaching Taskforce, a committee filled with previous award winners and other established leaders from the strength and conditioning community. The Taskforce determines the winners based on their contributions to the NSCA, their community, and the coaching profession. All winners will be honored at the NSCA's Coaches Conference, which is being held from Jan. 6-8, 2021. 
 
Founded in 1978, The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world.
 
The NSCA exists to empower a community of professionals to maximize their impact through disseminating evidence-based knowledge and its practical application by offering industry-leading certifications, research journals, career development services, networking opportunities, and continuing education. The NSCA community is composed of more than 60,000 members and certified professionals throughout the world who further industry standards as researchers, educators, strength and conditioning coaches, performance and sport scientists, personal trainers, tactical professionals, and other related roles.