The Steven A. Johnson Fitness Center is welcoming a couple of new faces this fall as a result of summer hirings in the weight room staff.

Sam Schmitz began his full-time position as head coach of strength and conditioning on August 2 before hiring his assistant Matt Costenson-Segura for this fall.

The hiring of Schmitz came after Director of Athletics Marty Bell decided strength and conditioning required a full-time staff, not just part-time.

“Basically with Sam and a revamp of the entire strength and conditioning program, we wanted to go in that new direction because we realize how critical strength and conditioning is to athletes,” Bell said. “Especially at this level where you don’t have extra workout time in your offseason like [division] one or [division] two schools.”

Bell made it clear the choice of Schmitz came largely from the approval of Simpson’s coaching staff.

“This didn’t really come down to me but rather the comfort level of our coaches because he will be working with them the most,” he said. “I think the coaching staff felt that Sam was the best man to move with in that process.”

Schmitz is excited to work with all athletes top to bottom, an opportunity only a small school like Simpson could provide him.

“A smaller school like this allows you to impact more athletes because you’re working with a large number of sports, while if you’re working at a bigger school you’re working with just football or maybe just basketball,” Schmitz said.

Between him and Costenson-Segura, Schmitz estimated about 200 to 300 student-athletes come into the weight room each day.

“The first goal is to make sure every team from top to bottom feels like this weight room is a safe space they can come into and know they’ll get trained for their sport,” he said. “We’re going to train baseball players to get better at the sport of baseball, not training them to become Olympic powerlifters.”

Jessica Jacobs, junior transfer student and middle hitter on the volleyball team, had high remarks for Schmitz’s vision as a lifting coach at Simpson.

“I have confidence in how Schmitz is teaching proper techniques to all athletes,” she said. “I value good communication and how the staff pays attention to detail when explaining things to me as an individual, as well as to others.”

Senior defensive lineman Jack Bootsmiller emphasized how Schmitz’s passion is helping Simpson sports reach a new level in the weight room.

“He’s not only incredibly passionate about his program and creating better athletes on the field, but he also wants athletes to learn why he does the things that he does so they can be more knowledgeable about different movements and why they are going to improve or hinder athletic performance,” he said.

Jacobs added a positive comment to Coach Schmitz’s character and her overall pride in the strength and conditioning team.

“Not only is Sam open-minded, but he holds high standards for his athletes to reach and be accountable for,” Jacobs said. “I am honored to be a part of this program and cannot wait to watch it continue to grow.”