Directors

Doug Smith, CSCS

Head Strength & Conditioning Coach

As one of the most respected strength and conditioning coaches in the country, Juniata College has a true asset with Doug Smith. Coach Smith has been a full-time strength coach at Juniata since 1997 and has built a reputation for himself and the program that demands respect.

He was named the 2015 National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Coach of the Year and is the director of one of the most prestigious Strength and Conditioning Clinics in the country.

Smith was also featured on Iron Game Chalk Talk, a webinar with Ron McKeefery, M.A, MSCCC, CSCS, this past summer.

In 2009, he was named the Division III Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by Samsun Equipment/American Football Monthly.

Smith coordinates workouts for each of Juniata’s 17 varsity sports, while managing all other fitness center responsibilities. Following the programs laid out by Coach Smith allows every Juniata athlete to maximize their abilities, and compete with the top athletes in all of Division III. Smith has trained 83 All-American athletes and designed workouts for 8 national championship teams.

Coach Smith has certifications by the NSCA, USA Weightlifting Federation, the National Academy of Sports Medicine and American Red Cross. His numerous qualifications and vast knowledge combine with his passion for helping athletes succeed help Juniata’s athletes push themselves to reach their potential.

Smith has worked with the Texas Rangers as a spring training consultant and various competitive colleges throughout his career, including Penn State’s football team.

Darin Thomas

Director of Strength and Conditioning

Darin Thomas is now the current Director of Strength and Conditioning at Muhlenberg College and has immediately put his numerous years of D-1 coaching experience into effect for the Mules. He has implemented strength training, nutrition, and conditioning programs for individual athletes and teams, using various strength and conditioning modalities.

Darin graduated from the State University of New York, College at Cortland in 1996 with a master’s degree in physical education. 

The same year, he became the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Richmond. From 1997 to 2005 he was the Director of Strength and Conditioning where he designed and implemented strength and conditioning programs for the sports teams.

In 2005 Coach Thomas brought his knowledge and experience to South Bend where he worked at Notre Dame. In the Department of Physical Education, he instructed components of wellness, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, weight management, nutrition, and stress management.

In the summer of 2011 Coach Thomas went to the University of Adama Mickiewicz in Poznan, Poland where he taught principles and foundations of strength and conditioning course.

Darin is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist-NSCA and the USA Weightlifting Federation Level 1 Club Coach.