The Valparaiso University Department of Athletics has welcomed Chris Peterson to its staff as a sports performance assistant. Peterson will serve as the strength & conditioning coach for the soccer and women’s golf programs in addition to assisting with football strength & conditioning efforts.

Peterson arrives at Valpo after a stint as a football sport science intern at the University of Maryland. He previously spent a year as a graduate assistant at Aurora University in Illinois, overseeing strength & conditioning for men’s lacrosse, women’s hockey, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s soccer and softball. He gained experience as a strength & conditioning intern at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich. prior to arriving at Aurora.

“I am extremely excited to bring Chris Peterson in as part of our Valparaiso Strength & Conditioning team and our Valpo Athletics family,” Associate Director of Sports Performance Gabe Miller said. “I had the opportunity to meet Chris when he interned for our strength staff at Central Michigan University, where he showed great work ethic day in and day out with a continuous want to grow in the field. For being very young in his coaching career, Chris brings a lot of valuable experience to the table, most recently as a part of a very respected sports science department with the University of Maryland football program. I am very excited to have Chris Peterson serving our student-athletes here at Valparaiso University.”

Peterson completed his undergraduate degree in exercise science from Grand Valley State University in May 2021 prior to earning his master’s in exercise science from Aurora in May 2022. He is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is a certified strength & conditioning specialist and is a USA Weightlifting certified Level 1 coach.

“The coaches here are very passionate about serving their teams and I am grateful to be a part of that,” Peterson said. “Joining Valpo also presents a tremendous opportunity for me to learn and grow while once again working with Gabe Miller.”