California Irvine Athletics

The UC Irvine strength and conditioning staff provide well designed, safe, collaborative training programs based on sound physiological principles that improve the overall athleticism of UC Irvine's Division 1 student-athletes. Get to know the 2020 strength and conditioning staff: 

 

Mike Nagler | Head Strength Coach | 16 years at UCI | Alma Mater: Washington State
Works with: Women's water polo, baseball, men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's tennis

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
I was taking a athletic training class at Washington State University, where I met Mark Verstegan, who would become the founder of EXOS. He helped me become a student assistant in the WSU Strength and Conditioning program and I was hooked.

I have been a college Strength and Conditioning Coach since 1993,  I have worked at 6 universities and have
coached 5 National Champion teams and 6 College world series teams.

After the Cal State Fullerton baseball team won a national championship in 2004, UCI hired then pitching coach Dave Serrano as their new baseball coach and he recommended me for the vacant head coach position for Strength and Conditioning.
 
What is your favorite UCI moment or memory?
I have so many, but I guess the two that stick out the most is in 2007 when Bryan Petersen hit a walk off double to beat Wichita State to advance to its first College World Series.  The other is in 2013 when Conner Hughes served eight straight points to beat BYU in the men's volleyball National Championship.   
 
Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? Also favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area?
SET Center, come and stop by and you will see why.

15^th street beach, nice place to take the family to the beach.
 
What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The relationships with the coaches and staff and working with the student-athletes.
 
What is a brief philosophy of your coaching/training strategy? 
Work hard, be honest and communicate.
 
What are you most looking forward to in returning to campus? 
Working with the student-athletes in person again.
 
Who is your favorite professional team? 
Seattle Seahawks
 
What is something no one knows about you? 
I'm 8^th on the most tenured employees at UCI Athletics

Chandler Morrison | Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach | Less than a year at UCI | Alma Mater: University of Utah | Works with: Men's basketball, women's basketball, women's golf

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
While I was enlisted in the Marine Corps, I had the opportunity to be a part of one of the first classes of High Intensity Tactical Training instructors. The goal was to change the way the Marine Corps did physical training for the better. During the course, that was the first time I had ever met someone who had worked as a strength and conditioning coach. The thought of being able to work in a weight room really appealed to me and that got my wheels turning when I decided not to re-enlist and go to college. In college, I played rugby and worked in the private sector both as a personal trainer and as a strength and conditioning coach for athletes in the Salt Lake area while I was going through my undergrad. After graduating, I had the opportunity to intern at the University of Utah which was my first official experience at the college level.
 
What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
Last season the Hawaii trip is definitely up there. The process of getting to Hawaii was unexpected and difficult and threw the team off, but seeing the team respond to the adversity and go get a big win on the road was really special. Even though at the time the cancellation of the first flight, to have to bus to Las Vegas to fly to Hawaii, to have to play the next day wasn't fun at the time, it made for a great memory.
 
Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? Also favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area? 
To be honest, I haven't really had a chance to find a favorite place in the area yet. Getting here at the start of the basketball season meant that I had to hit the ground running and I haven't really had much of a chance to explore just yet. I guess that would make my favorite place on campus the weight room.
 
What is the best part about working at UCI? 
Easy, the athletes. Across the board the coaches do a great job recruiting high-level, motivated individuals that are great to work with day in and day out.
 
What is a brief philosophy of your coaching/training strategy? 
I think that as far as coaching goes, it's all about working hard and giving 100% towards getting better on the court or the field. That leads to training in ways that will make you better in the areas where you need them. Training is all about creating situations which your body has to adapt to over time. I view my job as being able to regulate those situations in the controlled environment of the weight room to elicit the adaptations over time that will benefit the athletes the most on the field of play.
 
What are you most looking forward to in returning to campus? 
I'm just ready to get back to work, see my teams and start competing again. I'm ready to get back into the SET and start planning for the next steps. I think that the hardest part about working from home has been the uncertainty so far. Getting back on campus will allow us to start to set realistic timelines for starting our seasons and getting physically ready for when they do start.
 
What is your favorite professional team? 
The Lakers. Growing up in the Kobe era how could I be anything but a Lakers fan.
 
What is something no one knows about you? 
I love to read. I read everything from research studies to fiction to relax. My favorite books are the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

James Holbrook | Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach | 2nd year at UCI
 Alma Mater: Central Michigan
Works with: Men's and women's soccer, men's water polo,  women's indoor/ men's and women' outdoor track and field and men's and women's cross country

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
I started in the strength and conditioning field my freshmen year of undergrad. I was an intern at Central Michigan University and during my four years I worked with each of the varsity sports. After my time at Central, I completed an internship at Texas Christian University where I was able to work with the football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, volleyball programs. After my time at TCU, I worked at a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama. As a graduate assistant I was able work with the men's and women's basketball, baseball, track and field, and volleyball teams while I took classes towards my masters in sports management. I was told about UCI from the former assistant strength and conditioning coach, another former TCU intern, Drew Mitchell, who told me everything that UCI had to offer.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
My favorite UCI memory had to have been my first day on the job. UCI was my first full time position, and working for a Division I school has been a dream of mine since I started in the field.

Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? Also favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area? 
The SET Center is easily my favorite place on campus. The SET Center is where I spend almost every second of everyday, and the ability to be in a weight room all day is a dream. My favorite place in the area is probably the beach. During the quarantine, I have spent a lot of my time riding my bike up and down the beach enjoying the nice California weather.

What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The best part of working at UCI is easily the student-athletes. Being able to see the work the student-athletes put in everyday during practice and the payoff that comes on game days is one of the best parts of being a coach.

What is a brief philosophy of your coaching/training strategy? 
My training philosophy consists of putting the athletes in the best possible position to succeed on the field/court or in the pool. The athletes came to UCI to play their sport, so everything we do in the weight room is guided to assist them in their performance.

What are you most looking forward to in returning to campus? 
I can't wait to be back on campus to see all the athletes again. Being stuck at home has hit hard not having much social interaction, so being able to interact with the athletes again will be great!

What is your favorite professional team? 
My favorite professional team is the Chicago Cubs. Growing up in Chicago, the Cubs was a constant in my childhood. A lot of heart break that eventually lead to a World Series in 2016!

What is something no one knows about you? 
I grew up with a big family. I have two brothers and two sisters and over 100 people on my mom's side of the family.