NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion University athletics department announced the addition of three new staff members to the newly designated Sports Performance department on Tuesday.
Director of Sports Performance Ryan Martin rounded out his staff with the addition of Alex Parr from the University of Miami (Fla.) and the internal promotion of Eric Potter. “We are fortunate to have attracted two quality people in Alex and Eric to Old Dominion University,” said Martin. “Their experience will greatly enhance our Sports Performance department and in turn benefit our student-athletes”.
Parr spent the last two years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Miami, working primarily with the women's basketball and swimming & diving programs.
The Canes’ women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship for the second straight season in 2011-12 and achieved their highest national ranking ever at No. 5 as Parr helped in training and developing a pair of All-Americans and WNBA draft picks along with four All-ACC selections.
A 2006 graduate of the University of Maryland, Parr is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a level one Sports Performance Coach through United States Weightlifting, a Performance Enhancement Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a certified Golf Fitness Instructor through the Titleist Performance Institute.
Prior to Miami, Parr served as a strength and conditioning coach at George Washington University from 2008-11, working with the baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's soccer, lacrosse, golf and swimming teams. He also assisted with the strength programs for both the men's and women's basketball teams. From 2006-08, he was a graduate assistant at GW in health and wellness, facilities and strength and conditioning.
Potter served as the ODU strength and conditioning intern from January until July when he became an interim strength and conditioning coach. He’s worked with the football, field hockey, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, wrestling, baseball and women’s basketball programs at Old Dominion.
Prior to ODU, Potter was a strength and conditioning coach at both Greenbrier Christian Academy and the Mid-Atlantic Sports Academy in Maryland. He is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) and is a Level 1 Certified Functional Movement Specialist.
A 2011 graduate of the University of Maryland, Potter was a four-year starter on the mound for the Terps’ baseball team where he finished 10th in career strikeouts and 11th in career innings pitched at Maryland. Potter was drafted in the 19th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics and pitched for the A’s minor league organizations in Arizona and Vermont.
Adding a position to his staff, Martin also hired former Old Dominion football player Mario Crawford as the Football Sports Performance Coach. “We are excited to hire Mario to this position,” added Martin. “His experiences as a former ODU student-athlete will translate well into his transition to coaching”.
Crawford was a running back for the Monarchs from 2009-11 before becoming a student assistant on head coach Bobby Wilder’s staff.
Prior to injury sidelining Crawford, he led the Monarchs in rushing with 505 yards and averaging 45.9 yards per game as a sophomore in 2010. He posted six touchdowns including a pair against VMI and ran for a season-high 91 yards against Georgia State that season and also making 24 receptions for 216 yards. Crawford was also a member of the Phil Steele Preseason All-Independent Team and FCS College Football Performance Award Watch List.
In his first season with ODU in 2009, Crawford was the second leading Monarch rusher averaging 60 yards per game and 6.1 yards per carry. He recorded six rushing touchdowns including a pair against Virginia Union and at Jacksonville in the Monarchs' FCS debut. He also captured the longest run of the year in a 52-yard carry at Fordham and tore downfield for a season-high 102 yards at Savannah State.
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