As the new Director of Strength and Conditioning at Bridgewater College, Coach Logan Papen is bringing new ideas to strengthen the College’s athletes both on and off the playing fields.
Student-athletes participate in strength and conditioning via an individualized training program designed to enhance their physical performance, prevent injuries and support overall athletic development. It is crucial to any collegiate athletic program. Papen works with all athletic teams associated with the NCAA at Bridgewater.
While some coaches emphasize sport-specific training—targeting movements, muscle groups and energy systems tailored to a particular sport—Papen advocates for a more general approach that enhances overall athletic performance. He also takes a collaborative approach with athletes, integrating the best aspects of his experiences at other universities into his own program.
“One of the biggest things I look for is communication,” Papen said. “I need to effectively communicate with student-athletes what I expect from them as well as them communicating back to me.”
Beyond communication, Papen emphasizes mutual respect and trust with the athletes he trains three days a week during their season.
“Trust and respect really build a better relationship between the coach and the athlete,” Papen said. “That will all tie into the effort they put in when they’re in the weight room.”
However, Papen recognizes that there will come a point in time when student-athletes are no longer athletes, so he seeks to prepare student-athletes for life after collegiate sports.
“I personally place a lot of emphasis on hard work because that’s going to open a lot of doors for you through life,” Papen said. “It’s not just about what athletes do in the weight room or on the field, it’s about how they carry themselves. I try to relate things back to real life to set student-athletes up for their futures.”
Unlike many professionals in athletics who are often retired athletes, Papen didn’t play sports in college. As a result, he had to take an alternative path to enter sports coaching.
“I got really into lifting with friends in college which piqued my interest,” Papen said. “I started looking into what you could do regarding weight training in sports and that led to strength and conditioning.”
After graduating from Kansas State University, Papen secured an internship there, working on strength and conditioning for the baseball team and the men’s and women’s golf teams. Papen balanced several part-time jobs with his internship, working around a total of 80 hours a week.
“I had more fun getting up incredibly early and working for my internship than anything else at that time,” Papen said. “That’s how I knew that strength and conditioning was what I wanted to do. I haven’t looked back since.”
Papen began gathering more experience by working at Franklin Pierce University, Dakota State University and Keiser University prior to applying for and accepting the Bridgewater position as Director of Strength and Conditioning.
“I believe a lot of times to be an effective leader you have to know how to follow,” Papen said. “All those years of following others’ guidance and learning from them is what helped set me up for this position.”
In his role at Bridgewater, Papen collaborates closely with team coaches and athletic trainers to optimize athlete performance and injury prevention. For example, if a team experiences frequent hamstring injuries, he adjusts workouts to specifically strengthen that muscle and reduce the risk of further issues. Papen hopes to continue to develop the program.
“I want to improve athletic performance and reduce injury risk,” Papen said. “I also want the athletes later in their life to say, ‘I really enjoyed my time at Bridgewater.’”
– Olivia DeWan ’27
3/10/25
