You see her on the sidelines at University of Louisville women's basketball games. Sitting at the end of the bench, joining the huddles during time outs...occasionally chatting with one of the players or assistant coaches. She is at softball games also, working with players before and during games. What you don't see is the hours she and her staff put in helping strengthen, condition and build stamina with all the UofL women's athletes.
She has finally received national recognition. Teena Murray is now a master strength and conditioning coach and will be presented the award Thursday, May 6th in Orlando, FL.
There are only 92 such titles in college sports. The honor is comparable to being selected to the Hall of Fame for a basketball coach.
Murray has had a dramatic effect on the way UofL women student athletes train and prepare for their contests. Her methods have definitely produced results. A third Big East title for the women's track and field squad. A run toward the national title for the University of Louisville women's basketball team in 2009. Softball near the top of the leaderboard year after year. Look at the records of Cardinal softball and basketball and if you research it, you'll see improvement in the standings and performance of the athletes since Murray arrived on the UofL campus in 2004 after serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at UConn. I'm not saying she is the sole reason for the across the board improvement but no one can argue with the fact that better trained and conditioned performers acheive better results.
Watch for her the next time you attend a UofL softball, basketball or soccer game. Quietly advising and observing her players, Murray does not seek or grab the spotlight...content to offer a few choice words...but she's constantly reviewing and rating performances, strengths, areas of needed improvement and overall conditioning of the women who don the red and black.
The next time you see Melissa Roth slug one over the wall or Monique Reid blow past an opponent for two...keep in the back of your mind that the assist goes to the way Murray and her staff keep the Cardinal women at peak performance and optimal skills.
I wonder if she could work wonders on a couple of old ex-jocks whose bones sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies each morning when they wake up?
Written by Paul
5/4/10
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