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April 25, 2007
Charlottesville, VA – Ed Nordenschild has been named director of strength and conditioning at Virginia and Matt Balis is the Cavaliers’ new head strength and conditioning coach for football. Executive Associate Director of Athletics Jon Oliver made the position announcements on Wednesday (April 25).
“The strength and conditioning unit is a critical piece of the structure the athletics department has put in place in support of our 10-year goals,” Oliver said. “The promotion of Ed Nordenschild to director and the addition of Matt Balis as the head strength and conditioning coach for football will help us take our efforts in this area to a new level.”
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Matt Balis
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Nordenschild has served as Virginia’s head strength and conditioning coach for Olympic sports since July of 2004 and he will continue in that position. He has been responsible for overseeing all components of Olympic sports student-athlete development in the areas of strength and conditioning.
As UVa’s director of strength and conditioning, Nordenschild’s responsibilities include providing direction and leadership to establish, implement and accomplish unit objectives; assuming responsibility for maintaining and upgrading weight rooms and equipment; supervising the hiring and training of strength and conditioning staff; and policy and procedure development and implementation.
Nordenschild came to Virginia after serving as the head strength and conditioning coach at Fresno State University since August of 1999. At Fresno State, he was responsible for overseeing all operations regarding the athletics department’s strength and conditioning program. He received the Coach Practitioner Award from The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) in 2003.
Prior to joining the athletics department at Fresno State, Nordenschild was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Texas from August of 1995 to August of 1999.
Nordenschild earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Texas-Arlington in 1993 and a master’s degree in kinesiology with a specialization in exercise physiology from the University of Texas in 1995. He is certified with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the United States Weightlifting Federation.
“I feel fortunate to work at an institution like the University of Virginia that has high academic and athletic standards,” Nordenschild said. “I enjoy the opportunity to work with individuals who are driven to be the best both academically and athletically. I look forward to my new responsibilities and continuing to assist athletes at Virginia in their preparation to perform at the highest level of intercollegiate competition.”
Balis comes to Virginia after serving as assistant director of strength and conditioning at the University of Florida since 2005. At Florida, he was responsible for assisting the director of strength and conditioning with daily operations of the facility. He also assisted with coordination of the entire strength program, including coaching in the weight room, speed development and conditioning. The Florida football team completed the 2006 season with a 13-1 record, won the Southeastern Conference Championship and the BCS National Championship.
At Virginia, his responsibilities will include overseeing the football program’s strength and conditioning needs and assessing each individual’s physical attributes to improve athletic performance.
“The training and development of our players is a critical component of a team’s success, so this position is of great importance,” said UVa head football coach Al Groh. “Matt Balis was a key player in the success stories that Urban Meyer created at Utah and Florida. He will bring those programs and standards of performance to Virginia football along with his energy and enthusiasm.”
Prior to joining the staff at Florida, Balis worked two years in the strength and conditioning program at the University of Utah. He was the director of strength and conditioning for the entire 16-sport program in 2004-05. Balis was directly in charge of designing and implementing strength and conditioning programs for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball. The football team completed the 2004 season with an overall record of 12-0 and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was the top assistant strength coach at Utah in 2003-04.
Balis was also an assistant strength coach at the University of Houston for two years. He was the primary assistant for football and worked with several additional sports.
“I cannot wait to get started,” Balis said. “This is a dream come true for me to work at such a prestigious academic institution with so much history and such a great staff. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the players and getting right into it.
“Working at Florida has been a phenomenal experience and it was a blessing to work with Coach Meyer and Mickey Marotti (Florida’s strength and conditioning coordinator). Coach Meyer has been a huge influence on my career and I’m very grateful to him. Mickey possesses so much knowledge, is a great teacher and is someone you admire because of his character. I have learned so much from him and this entire experience, I could not ask for more. Being a part of the national championship was something really special. The experiences I’ve had will hopefully have a positive impact at the University of Virginia.”
Before moving to the college level, Balis was an assistant football coach and worked in the area of strength and conditioning at Wheaton Warrenville South High School for two years and at Wheaton North High School for three years. Both high schools are located in Wheaton, Ill. He also taught physical education at the elementary school level during that five-year period.
Balis earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Northern Illinois University in 1996 and a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Aurora University in 2001.
Balis is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCC), and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, and a certified strength and conditioning coach.
Balis’ appointment is effective April 30.