Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
The Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award is given to an outstanding Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS) who has demonstrated dedication to improving athletic performance at the college level.
Congratulations to our 2024 winner!
Kenna Smoak Minnici, MA, CSCS, RSCC*D
Kenna (Smoak) Minnici is in her seventh year as an Associate Strength Coach at Army West Point (Army). Through her time at Army, she has worked with baseball, volleyball, and many other Olympic sports. Under her guidance, the Army Baseball Program has won five consecutive Patriot League titles. Prior to West Point, Coach Minnici worked at Marshall, SMU, and UT Chattanooga. She has a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from the University of Alabama and a Master’s in Sport Science and Pedagogy from Gardner-Webb University. Coach Minnici has also competed professionally in powerlifting, nationally in Figure bodybuilding, and run marathons. She resides in Stormville, New York, with her husband, one-year-old son, and two German shepherds.
Read the Press Release
Award Eligibility
| Current NSCA Member |
| NSCA Membership - Minimum 2 years* |
| NSCA CSCS Certification |
| Current Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach with at least 2 yr experience (beyond the internship / graduate assistant level) |
| Not a previous recipient |
*Consecutive membership is counted back from the date the award is to be conferred.
Additional requirements listed in the General Awards Criteria, include but not limited to, the nominee must be nominated by a member in good standing and nominees will be sent a criteria sheet to fill out that must be returned with a cover letter and CV/resume before the required deadline.
Past Award Recipients Include:
| 2023 - Gary Calcagno, MA, CSCS, RSCC*E | |
| 2022 - Ryan Metzger, MS, CSCS, RSCC | |
| 2021 - Andrew Stocks, MS, CSCS, RSCC | |
| 2019 - Ashley Jackson, MS, CSCS, RSCC, University of Michigan |  |
| 2017 - Domenic Reno, CSCS, RSCC*D, Western Kentucky University |  |
| 2016 - Matt Shaw, MEd, CSCS, RSCC, University of Denver |  |
| 2015 - Bo Sandoval, MS, CSCS, USAW-2, RSCC, University of Michigan | |
| 2014 - Caitlin Quinn, CSCS, RSCC, Florida State University | |
| 2013 - Antony McClure, CSCS,*D, RSCC*D, New Mexico University | |
| 2012 - Jason E. Spray, CSCS Middle Tennessee State University |
How is the recipient selected?
Procedure:
1. The NSCA will market and solicit nominees from NSCA membership.
2. Additional award nominees may be recommended by the NSCA Coaching Program Manager based on recommendations by SPD, SIG, and other NSCA Volunteer Program Leaders.
3. Nominees must meet the General Award Criteria requirements.
4. Nominees must meet the Eligibility Requirements stated in the Criteria Sheet of the award to be considered.
5. The nominee shall provide the completed criteria sheet, cover letter, resume or CV, and supporting documentation of involvement, activities and awards to the NSCA National Headquarters by the requested deadline.
Selection Process:
1. The process for selection shall be as follows:
a. Nominations must be received before the established deadline.
b. NSCA Headquarters will verify eligibility requirements and overall points for nominees have been met.
c. Qualified nominees will be notified.
i. If there are no qualifying nominees, the award will not be given.
d. Top three nominees based on points for each award will be sent to the Coaching (RSCC) Task Force.
e. The Coaching (RSCC) Task Force will vote for the winner.
2. The Coaching (RSCC) Task Force:
a. The Task Force will be volunteers selected yearly by the Coaching Program Manager.
b. It will be apparent that the Task Force is impartial to the nominees.
c. The Task Force will be comprised of >50% non-coaching award recipients and <50% past coaching award recipients.
d. For the HS Coach of the Year Award voting, members of the HS SIG Executive Council will be included in the Task Force.
e. The Coaching Program Manager will certify that the policies and procedures for the nomination and awarding process were followed as outlined herein.
f. The Coaching Program Manager will submit the winners’ names to the Awards and Honors Committee Chair for review and approval.
3. The Awards and Honors Committee Chair will
a. Notify the Board of Directors of the recipient.
4. The NSCA Headquarters will:
a. Notify the recipients of the award.
b. Send regret notifications.
c. Create a Press Release and online announcement of the winners.
d. Will verify attendance at the Coaches Conference Opening Ceremony or the National Conference Awards Banquet.
