ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the appointment of Andrew Park as the new Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Performance. Parker will also guide IC's Peak Performance Strategy, and his first day on South Hill will be June 17.

"I am thrilled to welcome Coach Andrew Parker to join our staff and lead our efforts in the area of Sports Performance," said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Susan Bassett '79. "Coach Parker brings a wealth of experience on both the Division I and III levels. His passion for excellence came through in his interview with us. I am confident that he will build on the strong foundation established by Vic Brown in Strength and Conditioning and our academic colleagues in Exercise Science. I look forward to what the future holds for IC Athletics under his guidance in sport performance."

Parker comes to Ithaca College after spending the last two years at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill. as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Director of Physical Education and Forester Fitness.

While at Lake Forest, Parker was responsible for developing and implementing sport specific strength and conditioning programs for all 25 varsity athletics teams. Parker would also work with the sports medicine staff to assist in return to play protocols and injury reduction programs. Parker utilized sports science and data collection through Catapult, Jump Metrics and Dashr Timing Systems to track progress in athletic development programming.

Park was also responsible for establishing nutrition education for student-athletes and scheduling of physical education classes at the college.

"I would like to thank Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Susan Bassett, along with the entire search committee, for entrusting me to lead the Sports Performance initiative for Ithaca College," stated Parker. "It is an honor to be able to serve the student-athletes, the current sports performance staff, coaches, and all those associated with the goal of developing our athletes to their fullest potential. I look forward to being able to build upon an already strong established culture built by Vic Brown, and the current sports performance staff, who have worked tirelessly during this transition period, as well as work hand in hand with our Exercise Science Department to give our students and student-athletes the best experience possible in their time at Ithaca College. The future for Ithaca College Sports Performance is bright, Go Bombers and let's get to work!"

Prior to joining Lake Forest, Parker worked at Hartwick College, where he had been the head strength and conditioning coach and equipment room manager since 2018. He developed and implemented strength and conditioning protocols for all 19 varsity sports at Hartwick and performed testing to ensure those protocols were being performed. Parker also supervised more than 40 student workers in the fitness center and equipment Room and managed the inventory, distribution, and record keeping of equipment.

"Andrew is a knowledgeable, passionate, and dedicated coach," said head men's basketball coach Waleed Farid. "His coaching not only boosts performance but also motivates student-athletes to excel. I've seen firsthand the impact Andy can have on an athletic department, and I look forward to working with him again."

He received Hartwick's Paul Spaziani Special Recognition Award for making a significant impact in the operation of the athletic program and an award from the school's SAAC for significant impact on student-athlete experience.

Prior to his tenure at Hartwick, Parker spent nearly three years at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where he first served as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach before remaining on staff as assistant strength and conditioning coach. His experience in the field also includes a three-month internship at the Barwis Methods Training Center in Plymouth, Mich.

"Coach Parker's passion for training student-athletes to reach their peak performance shined throughout the interview process and he will continue to elevate our strength and conditioning program, which is one of the best in the country," said football head coach Michael Toerper. "We are exciting for him to join our Bomber family."

Parker earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a concentration in fitness development from State University of New York at Cortland and his master's degree in sport and fitness administration from Winthrop. He is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach. In addition, he is Level 1 certified by USA Weightlifting and CPR/First Aid/AED certified by the American Red Cross.