Springfield College

The Springfield College Department of Athletics and the School of Physical Education, Performance and Sports Leadership have announced the hiring of Jeff Stern '20 as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Assistant Professor of Strength and Conditioning. 

Stern joins Springfield College after stops at UMass Amherst, Iowa, Central Michigan and Merrimack. 

From January of 2025 to July 2026, Stern was the Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance at UMass Amherst where he took the lead on all speed sessions and return to play protocols for injured student-athletes. He also implemented and led analysis on all GPS, NordBord Testing and readiness technology in order to maximize player performance, mitigate injury risk and guide return-to-play protocols. His coaching was instrumental to the football program as four student-athletes earned All-MAC Honors and one earned Second Team FWAA All-America accolades.

In two seasons at Iowa with Stern as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, the Hawkeyes won 18 games across two seasons which included a 10-win season and capturing the Big Ten West Division in 2023. Iowa earned berths to the Citrus and Music City Bowls after the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively, and finished the 2023 year ranked No. 24 nationally. 

During his stint at Central Michigan, Stern was the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning where he implemented strength and conditioning programs for softball and women's volleyball and assisted in football's strength, speed and conditioning drills as well as being responsible for the refueling stations for the Chippewas. He also served as an Assistant Director and Graduate Fellow for the strength and conditioning department at Merrimack where he executed speed, strength and conditioning programs for football, field hockey, track and field throwers, women's basketball and women's tennis.  

Stern earned his bachelor's degree in applied exercise science with a concentration in sports performance in 2020 from Springfield College. While on Alden Street, he was a four-year member of the football program and was a halfback for the Pride and was named a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Athlete of the Year All-American during his senior year. He then went on to earn his master's degree in exercise and sport science from Merrimack in 2021. 

In each of his stops, Stern has taken a lead role in coordinating internships and working with interns, focusing on bringing in more interns to the programs, implementing curriculum and mentoring the students. He is well-versed in managing different technologies including Brower, DashR and Witty Timing Gate Systems, Catapult GPS System, Vald NordBord System, Hawkin Force Plate System to then consolidate and utilize the data collected to enhance student-athlete performance. Stern is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC), Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC), is United States Weightlifting Certified (USAW-1) and is a Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms).