LORETTO, Pa. – In a move that will benefit 21 athletics programs and nearly 400 student-athletes at Saint Francis University, Director of Athletics Bob Krimmel announced on Tuesday that Jesse Webber has been named the university's first-ever Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Webber, who brings 13 years of experience in strength and conditioning, and fitness, will begin his post on May 18.

“This is a major step for our athletic programs and for our student-athletes with the hiring of Jesse Webber,” said Krimmel. “Coach Webber brings a wealth of experience, great enthusiasm and a vision for our strength training program. With the completion of our new weight room this summer, our student-athletes will be provided with a great learning environment and an excellent teacher. I welcome Jesse and his wife, Sara, to our Red Flash Family.

Webber will begin at Saint Francis at a time that the university is making big strides to improve the overall facilities and support staff of a 21-sport Division I athletics program. He will have two new weight rooms with which to work in the coming years.

Construction has begun on a brand new weight room in the recently built DeGol Fieldhouse, which is located at DeGol Field. The weight room is expected to be completed by the time student-athletes return to campus in August. Additionally, plans are in the works for a complete renovation of the current existing weight room that is in the Maurice Stokes Athletics Center.

“I'm excited about the opportunity to build a strength and conditioning program, and get involved at Saint Francis,” Webber said. “I am focused on improving the experience for the student-athletes at Saint Francis, and I'm looking forward to being a part of the Red Flash family. It seems to be a tight-knit community, and I'm excited to be a part of that.”

Webber comes to Loretto after two years at the University of Maine, where he was the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. He was previously the first-ever Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Georgetown (2001-03), following stints as an assistant at Towson and Maryland. Webber received his USA Weightlifting Club Coaching certification in 1997, became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 1996, and is Red Cross CPR certified.

He worked as a student strength and conditioning coach as an undergraduate at Ohio University. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Sports Sciences from Ohio, Webber moved on to the University of Memphis, where he also worked as a student assistant while studying for his Master of Science in Human Movement Science and Education, which he received in 1997.

In addition to his work experience as a strength and conditioning coach, Webber has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Maine and assisted in teaching several courses at the University of Memphis.

Webber has been a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association since 1992, and is a member of USA Weightlifting (since 1997) and the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education (since 1997).

Currently, Saint Francis student-athletes rely on the coaches of their respective sports to provide strength and conditioning workouts and programs.

Since 1995, Saint Francis University has improved facilities throughout its campus. DeGol Field was constructed to replace the former Pine Bowl. DeGol Field provides a new SportExe artificial playing surface for football, field hockey and lacrosse, and includes the Father Bede Hines Track for the Red Flash track & field teams.

Additionally, new stands were installed for a seating capacity of 3,450, and DeGol Fieldhouse was completed in the south end zone at the beginning of the 2008-09 season. The field house currently includes locker room facilities for football, field hockey and lacrosse. The new weight room is currently under construction, and future plans call for an expansion of the football locker room, as well as the addition of a locker room for track & field, offices for coaching staffs, meeting rooms and training facilities.

At the Maurice Stokes Athletics Center, the building has been painted and the playing surface inside DeGol Arena received a face lift last summer. The men's basketball locker room will be completely renovated and expanded this summer, while future plans call for a new weight room, and renovations of locker rooms for all sports.

Also on campus, Saint Francis University is preparing to open the newly constructed DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness, which will provide state-of-the-art Physical Therapy facilities for the university as well as surrounding communities. The building will also include a weight and cardiovascular room for the student body.