MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Athletics has announced the hiring of three strength and conditioning coaches to add to the Badgers' already impressive roster.

Kevin Schultz has been hired as Wisconsin's director of Olympic strength and conditioning. A member of the Badgers S&C staff since 2015, Schultz most recently served as the interim Director and previously as an associate director of S&C while working with Wisconsin's nationally-ranked volleyball program and men's soccer team, in addition to overseeing services for 22 sports and three S&C facilities on campus.

"Kevin's been an outstanding leader in our strength & conditioning department for many years and I know he'll continue to exceed the high standards we have here at Wisconsin as director," said Doug Tiedt, UW's senior associate athletic director for student services. "He's built strength and trust with the coaches and student-athletes he works with each day and brings his positive energy, innovation and integrity to our programs.

Schultz is eager to continue his work and welcome new staff members in A.J. Whitehead and Paul Valukas.

"I am beyond humbled by the opportunity to lead a diverse staff of talented strength and conditioning professionals as we strive to elevate the lives of the student-athletes that we serve on a daily basis," said Schultz. "I am grateful for the trust and support that Doug Tiedt has placed in me and am equally grateful for the opportunity that (soon-to-be director of athletics) Chris McIntosh has provided to me in this impactful area within athletics.

"The Forward360 program provides our department the tools and resources and places us at the forefront of developing holistic and innovative athletic performance opportunities for our student-athletes. I am eager and excited to continue to work with the strength staff and student-athletes in order for us to reap the benefits of the hard work, dedication and compassion that everyone brings every day."

Whitehead, associate director of Olympic strength and conditioning, will work with the Badgers' women's basketball program. She comes to Wisconsin after serving as an associate director of strength and conditioning at Purdue for the last three years, working with the softball and men's and women's tennis teams. She oversaw the daily operations at Mollenkopf Athletic Center while assisting with budgets and various administrative projects. Whitehead will be working with new women's basketball head coach Marisa Moseley and team as announced earlier. Whitehead began working with the Badgers on June 1.

"In conversations with Coach Moseley, it became very apparent that the direction of the women's basketball program was in great hands and the value that she placed in hiring the absolute best strength and conditioning coach to develop Badger basketball athletes couldn't be understated," added Schultz. "A.J.'s experience as a strength and conditioning professional quickly caught the eyes of the search committee members and we were thrilled to be able to offer her a position at our institution.

"AJ's time as a collegiate and professional basketball athlete coupled with her education and years of experience leading the physical preparation of elite-level athletes on multiple continents will provide our student-athletes with firsthand access to someone who has lived in their shoes, achieved what many Badger basketball athletes aspire for and the know-how of how to obtain such a desired path."

A former UW strength and conditioning intern, Valukas, assistant strength and conditioning coach, returns to the Badgers with valuable experience working with the American Hockey League's Ontario Reign, an affiliate of the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings. He will work with Wisconsin's nationally-ranked men's and women's hockey programs now that UW S&C coach Jim Snider has begun working with the men's basketball program. Valukas begins work with the Badgers on June 7.

"There were two questions we were looking to have answered by our next hockey strength and conditioning coach," said Schultz. "One, could they match the energy, passion and excitement of Jim Snider's coaching and expertise and two, did we believe that this was truly a dream job for them, a job that they could see themselves holding for ten, fifteen or twenty years? Paul demonstrated without doubt during the interviewing process that he could fill the role we were asking of this position."

"It is extremely difficult to demonstrate the value that a strength and conditioning coach can bring to a department and the sport programs they serve during the interviewing process. However, Paul clearly understood the history, tradition and legacy of our hockey programs and recognizes what it takes to maintain the highest level of competitive excellence in the classroom and on the ice. In Paul, both programs are getting access to a high-level practitioner and coach who understands the value of the student-athlete experience at the University of Wisconsin."