New Strength and Conditioning Coaches Make the Weight Room a ‘Less Intimidating’ Experience

By Peyton Wright

On Sept. 18, Colorado College Athletics announced the hiring of new Strength and Conditioning Coach Scott Caulfield. Shortly after, on Oct. 28, Emily Andersen was hired as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. 

Caulfield is already quite familiar with the Tiger weight room, thanks to his time spent as the strength and conditioning coach for the Tigers’ hockey team from 2011–2015, as well as his work with the women’s soccer team from 2011–2013. 

He was drawn to working with CC because of his established connections with the coaches from his previous work with hockey and soccer. Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine’s commitment to excellence was also incredibly encouraging for Caulfield. His biggest reason for choosing CC, however, was the opportunity it gave him to make a difference in the lives of the athletes.

“I had a blast working with CC student-athletes in the past, and since I started that, I knew this was a great place to take the next step in my career and make an impact,” Caulfield said.  

His relationship with the Tigers D1 teams stemmed from his work with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a CC partner organization.  

Caulfield’s time with the NSCA began in 2011, making up only part of his over twenty years of experience in the strength and conditioning field. He began his impressive career journey in 2000 when he graduated from Castleton University with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. 

At CC, Caulfield is taking on the role of head strength and conditioning coach for all varsity athletic teams, including two DI and 15 DIII teams. The variety of teams is one aspect of the job he’s been enjoying so far. 

“It’s so much fun. I’ve loved every day here at CC thus far because of all the different sports and athletes I get to work with,” Caulfield said.

Audrey Nelson ’20, who runs for CC’s country team, worked with Caulfield twice a week during their fall season and recognized the improvement she saw in her team’s performance thanks to Caulfield’s work with them this season.

“He’s been really helpful in making sure everyone is doing the exercises right and makes the lift room a lot less intimidating for a bunch of long-distance runners,” Nelson said. 

She also mentioned the team’s appreciation of Caulfield for bringing his dog to work with him every day; she says his energy makes lifting a lot more fun.

As for Caulfield himself, he says he’s excited about working with CC Athletics again. Besides getting to wear sweatpants to work — a major perk for him — he really enjoys working with the athletes here.

“My favorite part [about coaching] is building positive and impactful relationships with our student-athletes and helping them improve their physical preparedness so that they can perform better on the court and/or field,” Caulfield said. 

Emily Andersen, who has been working with CC athletes for three months now, brings her fair share of expertise to the program as well. A former DI athlete, she dominated the lacrosse field, becoming a four year letter winner in women’s lacrosse for the University of Louisville and contributing to the team’s 2014 Big East title. 

Beyond her experience as an athlete, Andersen’s abilities as a coach developed quickly from her work academically. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance and a minor in psychology.  She then went on to further her knowledge of strength and conditioning with a master’s degree from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.  

In 2017, Andersen began working with Tiger Athletics for the first time. As a sports performance intern, she was eager to put her abilities to use. She bounced around Colorado during this time, volunteering at both the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Denver before returning to CC full-time.

Similarly to Caulfield, Andersen was drawn to returning to CC because of a love for the staff and the athletes that she works with every day.

“[They] have been overwhelmingly kind and supportive while I was an intern and volunteer.  There’s no question that this environment made my decision to join the Tigers full-time pretty straightforward,” Andersen said. 

She now works with approximately 300 varsity student athletes CC and expressed immense pride in working to better CC athletes. In fact, she says her favorite part of the job is getting to watch student athletes grow academically and athletically.

“They work so hard day in and day out in the weight room and classroom, and there’s something very special to be said about that,” Andersen said. ““Being a CC Tiger will set them apart from the ‘ordinary’ in the future and I’m excited to be a part of that unique learning experience for them.”

Earning praise from athletes across sports and division, Caulfield and Andersen have been incredibly well received by the college and emphasize high hopes for the future of CC athletics.