Chico State Athletics

Collegiate athletics communications professionals don't take it personally when coaches fail to respond to emails. It's part of the territory. Sometimes they surprise us, however. For instance, I recently asked Chico State's coaches about the impact Strength and Conditioning Coach Colin Coughenour has had his joining the department in the summer of 2019.
 
Felipe Restrepo chimed in quickly, asking: "What can you say about 'Swoll Patrol'?" Apparently, a lot.
The emails poured in and the praise is effusive.
 
"Our kids look forward to going to the weight room," Women's Basketball Head Coach Brian Fogel said. "That hasn't always been the case."
 
Coughenour's impact on the department has been bigger than his biceps (no small task). He has strengthened Chico State's student-athletes physically while, as Women's Basketball Assistant Coach Meghan de los Reyes put it, aligning perfectly with the Wildcat Family culture.
 
Coughenour is our Wildcat of the Week.
 
"Our department has made some big improvements over my 13 years here and he might be the best addition we have added to our programs," Head Men's Basketball Coach Greg Clink said. "Our team always trained hard in the weight room, but Colin has added science to what we do and our student-athletes have made drastic strength gains because of it. He has a plan. It's not just a plan for the day, but a plan for the year. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious and our guys feed off him."
 
Women's Track and Field Head Coach Robert Nooney praised the structure and discipline Coughenour has added to the program, which immediately began paying dividends.
 
The things most often referenced regarding Coughenour were: his energy, positivity and enthusiasm; his fit within the Wildcat Family; and the gains made by student-athletes in the areas of strength and conditioning, along with nutrition.
 
Head Cross Country Coach Gary Towne mentioned those and more.

"Colin's impact has been positive in so many ways, but here are the main ones that stand out in my mind: He's so positive and high energy. I love being in the same room as he's addressing and working with our team. Strength and conditioning isn't something that most distance runners enjoy doing. I know. But Colin makes it fun to take that challenge on, and I can see that our student-athletes are positively impacted by his energy. He's really knowledgeable and made sure to implement a plan that would complement what we're already doing, while helping us take steps forward. And on top of all that, his zoom talk with our team about nutrition was incredibly insightful and helpful. Everyone who tuned in took valuable information from it that they can implement in their daily routine. We're very fortunate to have him!"

Collegiate sports came to a halt in March, just over seven months after Coughenour started. He has continued to make a difference by posting optional workouts and sharing his nutrition expertise.

Teams were already reaping the rewards of having a full time strength and conditioning coach of his caliber before COVID-19 hit.

"We love Colin's positive energy. Our program is better with him as our strength coach," said Softball Head Coach Angel Shamblin, whose team was off to a 19-2 start and ranked No. 2 in the nation before the season came to a premature end. "Our student-athletes were stronger and the results would have been even more noticeable if we would have had an April and May."

Head Athletic Trainer Scott Barker has seen and felt Coughenour's impact in the areas of injury prevention and rehabilitation.

"Injury prevention is hard to quantity and under-acknowledged sometimes, but the addition of Colin has been extremely valuable to our program's success in that area and much appreciated by me and my staff," Barker said. "Colin has also been invaluable to our student-athletes in the late stages of the rehabilitation process as well. That phase can be very difficult, but Colin has really helped our student-athletes progress through it exceptionally."
 
Coaches from throughout the department chimed in, including Women's Golf Head Coach Heather Fegley, who has seen improvements specific to the game of golf.
 
"Colin has been a game changer for our team," Fegley said. "He's created a program that has already yielded significant results across the board. One of the main things we struggled with as a team was fatigue during the tail-end of tournaments. With Colin's help we made great strides in combating this issue. His nutrition knowledge has also been extremely helpful to my team. When on the road we made better food choices that helped keep us better energized for long days on the course. I know this is an area that my team is especially grateful for! The thing I appreciate most about Colin's presence is that he reinforces the culture that I've been trying to create for my program and holds all of my players to a higher standard."
 
This quote from Men's Track and Field Head Coach Oliver Hanf is a good way to wrap it up: "Colin has a gift, and its shining in every corner of our department."

Do you know a Wildcat who deserves to be considered for a Wildcat of the Week honor? We're looking for current student-athletes who are making you proud athletically, academically, and/or in the community. If you have an idea, please take a moment to let us know by completing this five-question survey.