Hood’s strength and conditioning coach to leave the College

By Braden Weinel//

Erika Moyer,  the Hood College strength and conditioning coach will be leaving on Friday, March 12, to accept a job at Princeton University.

At Princeton, Moyer will work with the four rowing teams, men’s heavyweight, men’s lightweight, women’s heavyweight and women’s lightweight. She said this new opportunity will allow her to dig deep and increase her focus on one sport. At Hood, Moyer oversaw all 22 athletic teams.

Moyer heard about the job opening through word of mouth. She said that many NCAA coaches stay in touch about coaching positions. The associate strength and conditioning coach at Princeton made this new opportunity aware to Moyer.

Moyer, who is Hood’s first strength and conditioning coach, also acted as the physical education director for the past two years.

“I really liked the opportunity to get to work with so many different teams,” Moyer said.

Moyer’s passion for fitness began in high school, where she gained some lifting and conditioning experience. She went on to play college soccer at Mansfield University, a Division II institution in Pennsylvania. At Mansfield, there was no strength and conditioning coach, so Moyer took it upon herself to lead her team in the weight room.

Moyer graduated college with a degree in sports nutrition and dietetics and got her first job at a corporate fitness center. Moyer didn’t feel like she was in the right place, however, so she took the initiative to get her coaching certification and decided to take a chance working in college athletics. Before Hood, she worked at Swarthmore College for two years and then Goucher College for one year.

Moyer said she wants to work at a place where she won’t just help athletic teams grow but also where she can gain personal growth. She said she thinks Princeton could be her long-term landing spot and is excited for the reputation that the Tigers have.

“My end goal is to just be happy with where I’m working and just be supported by the coaches and the administration,” Moyer said.

While Moyer has only worked at Hood for about a year and a half, she said she will truly miss all the athletes she has had the chance to work with.

“The thing I’ll miss most is the day-to-day interactions with the student-athletes at Hood,” Moyer said.