GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart and William Smith Associate Athletic Director for Sports Performance and Strategic Initiatives and John J. Hogan '88 Strength and Conditioning Head Coach Chris Gray recently announced his plan to resign. He arrived at HWS as a one-person shop but has grown the strength and conditioning program in terms of both staffing and physical space, fostering a demonstrable improvement in individual student-athlete performance and team success.
 
Gray's wife, Jordan, recently accepted a new position that requires them to relocate to Cincinnati.
 
"Chris Gray has been an unbelievable teammate since the day he stepped foot on this campus," says Brian Miller, associate vice president and director of athletics and recreation. "He has transformed our strength and conditioning program into one of the nation's best, and the collective success of our teams can be directly correlated to the strength program he has developed.
 
"On a personal note, I will miss his friendship and spirited conversations tremendously, but know he is only a phone call away. I wish him, Jordan and the family continued success in the future."
 
Associate Head Coach Brittany Krivicich will be promoted to strength and conditioning head coach and Assistant Coach Derek Berry will be promoted to associate head coach. HWS will conduct a national search for an assistant coach for strength and conditioning to maintain the four-coach staffing level.
 
Gray was hired as the HWS strength and conditioning coach in 2018. He was promoted to associate athletic director in November of 2021. Since he arrived on campus, Gray has played an important role in improving the sports performance of hundreds of Herons and Statesmen. During his time on campus, HWS won 25 conference championships, earned dozens of postseason bids, and captured the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey National Championship. Over the past six years, HWS student-athletes have earned 55 All-America awards as well as scores of regional and conference honors.
 
"Together we have built HWS strength and conditioning into one of the best programs in the entire country, regardless of division, and I'm so thankful for everyone who contributed to this unprecedented growth and success," says Gray. "HWS is an incredible place and my family and I are beyond grateful to have shared six years of memories and experiences with so many and look forward to watching the magic continue in Geneva from a far."
 
Gray has overseen a wide-range of enhancements to the equipment in the Raleigh-Foley-Kraus Varsity Strength Training Center and has expanded the ability to training HWS' more than 700 student-athletes through innovative use of space in Bristol Field House.
 
A runner-up for the 2023 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) College Strength Coach of the Year Award. He has coached 20 NSCA All-Americans.
 
Gray moved to Geneva from Cincinnati, where he was performance operations manager at Ignition Athletic Performance Group. A National Strength and Conditioning Association certified strength and conditioning specialist, he brought close to a decade of experience to the Statesmen and Heron athletic programs. He joined Ignition APG in the spring of 2017 as a senior performance specialist and director of high school programming and was later promoted to oversee all of Ignition APG's trainer operations.

Gray has extensive experience working with collegiate student-athletes at both Division I and Division III institutions. He spent two years as the assistant director of strength and conditioning at the University of Cincinnati, working with the Bearcats' football, women's soccer, tennis and cross country teams. Before heading to UC, he spent one season at Villanova University as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for football.
 
Gray's professional career began in coaching at the Division III level, first graduate assistant football coach at Ithaca College and then at Hartwick College. With the Hawks, he also served as the football program's strength and condition coach. Gray spent the next four seasons at Misericordia University, providing strength and conditioning coaching for all 24 of the Cougars' varsity teams while serving as an assistant football coach.