By Jordan Walter ’24, staff writer
Lebanon Valley College welcomes AJ Mott to the Flying Dutchmen’s staff as head strength and conditioning coach.
Mott has been part of the strength and conditioning program at LVC since June 2021 and has already made a large impact on the program.
“Since he’s been here, he’s really helped a lot,” Erik Williams, a sophomore safety, said. “I definitely feel that we’ve gotten stronger, which usually doesn’t happen during the season.”
Before LVC, Mott worked as a graduate assistant and worked as the head strength and conditioning coach at a few other colleges such as FDU-Florham and Western Colorado University.
Mott states that he has ambitious plans for the strength and conditioning program at LVC. He hopes to completely revamp the program by bringing the student athletes of LVC to their fullest potential both on the field and in the weight room.
“The opportunity to grow the department is very enticing and it’s part of what drew me here,” Mott said.
When asked to describe Mott’s training style, Sarah Musselman, a super senior pitcher and team captain, describes it as “intense and always ready to get to work.”
Along with improving the strength of the student athletes, Mott also has plans to partner with the exercise science program by providing internship opportunities for students in the weight room.
“We hope to guide students to where they want to go and then develop it, so we are leading the way to get those professionals where they need to be,” Mott said.
Mott has only been at LVC for a few months, but he has already taken steps to revamp the strength and conditioning program. He made several renovations to the weight room by removing outdated pieces of equipment and replacing them with new ones. These changes have not gone unnoticed.
“It’s awesome,” Williams said. “There’s no other way to describe it. I would have never expected such a quick change.”
Mott has also made connections with some of the teams through his training as well, developing positive relationships with the student athletes.
“Speaking for the team, we just like him as a person,” Williams said. “He’s not only with us in the weight room but down on the field talking to us as well.”
Mott expresses the importance of developing bonds with the teams at LVC and how he values that connection in his training style.
“I hope to work with every athlete and touch their lives in one way or another and have some sort of impact on their development,” Mott said.
Good luck to coach Mott as he continues his time at LVC.