(Tennessee Athletics) -- Heather Mason, Assistant Athletics Director and the Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Tennessee, will be named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa). This honor is the highest given in the strength and conditioning coaching profession, and the ceremony is undoubtedly the highlight of the association’s national conference each year. Master Strength and Conditioning Coach Mickey Marotti from the University of Florida will present Coach Mason with the blue MSCC jacket at the 2009 National Convention in Nashville, Tenn., on May 7, 2009.

“This is an incredible honor for Heather,” said CSCCa Executive Director, Dr. Chuck Stiggins. “Being named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach signifies a commitment to the student athlete, a commitment to the University of Tennessee athletic program, and a commitment to the strength and conditioning profession. We are honored to have Coach Mason as a member of our association and to have her join the ranks of the Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches. She is truly a model of an outstanding strength and conditioning professional.”

Heather Mason is in her 13th year in the strength and conditioning profession and her sixth year as the head strength and conditioning coach for the women's athletics department at the University of Tennessee responsible for all facets of training 11 Lady Vol teams. She was promoted to Assistant Athletics Director for strength and conditioning in June 2008.

Her rise to a leadership post in the UT athletic department came as no surprise. Under her guidance, the Lady Vol strength program has emerged into one of the nation’s best. Mentored by Director of Strength and Conditioning coach Mickey Marotti at both Cincinnati and Notre Dame, Mason has now developed an excellent staff at UT. Under her tutelage, Collin Schlosser has been promoted to an associate head coach while Jessica and Kristen Kinder have risen from graduate assistants to full-time staffers.

Mason and her group instill “The Tennessee Way” every day in workouts. She expects the Lady Vol student-athletes to display discipline, integrity and pride in their strength and conditioning efforts in the hopes of excelling at the highest level of competition. Her innovative drills and workouts have been lauded by the Tennessee coaching staff. More than one staff member and Lady Vol athlete has remarked, “If you have it in you, Heather will find a way to maximize it.” More importantly, she and her staff are committed to excellence and creating a consistent, intense training environment.

Mason attained a bachelors of science in biology from the University of Cincinnati and was a four year letter winner and 1994 co-captain for the Cincinnati Bearcat Volleyball team. During her undergraduate studies, she earned Great Midwest Conference All-Academic team honors. In 1998, Mason graduated with a master of education degree in sports administration from Xavier (Ohio) University, and completed the Sports Management Institute Executive Program in 2003. She is certified by the National Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. The Wheelersburg, Ohio, native came to Tennessee after a five-year stint at the University of Notre Dame and two years at her alma mater, Cincinnati.

Since 1992, the Lady Volunteer Strength and Conditioning program has played an integral role in the training and development of female student-athletes at the University of Tennessee. The Lady Vol strength and conditioning coaches, consisting of four full-time and two graduate assistant staff members, have two primary goals: to maximize strength and power which will transfer to increased sport performance, and to decrease the likelihood and severity of injury.

The strength staff is responsible for the design and implementation of programs for a total of 11 varsity sports. These programs feature resistance training and conditioning protocols including plyometric, speed and aerobic/anaerobic training. The strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and sport coaches work very closely to design workouts with this purpose in mind: to challenge each student-athlete to reach her potential in her sport and be proud to be a Lady Vol.

Ten collegiate strength & conditioning coaches will receive the prestigious certification of Master Strength & Conditioning Coach at the 2009 MSCC Ceremony: Heather Mason (University of Tennessee), David Lawson (Central Michigan University), Joseph Kenn (University of Louisville), Lee Anthony Glass (Ohio State University), Darren Edgington (Murray State University), Michael Doscher (Valdosta State University), Michael Joe Batson (Clemson University), Bill Maxwell (University of Iowa), Richard Shaughnessy II (Troy University), and John Stephanski (Western Kentucky University). These ten coaches will join the existing 70 Master Strength & Conditioning Coaches, bringing the total number of MSCC’s to 80.