MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin athletics has announced two upgrades to the department's strength and conditioning staff.

The Badgers have promoted Paul Valukas to assistant director of Olympic strength & conditioning. In this new role, Valukas will be the liaison with campus academic programs and student educational organizations, while also serving as lead for S&C performance technologies at the Kohl Center. Valukas will continue to work with the Badgers' men's and women's hockey programs with his new duties.

Additionally, Wisconsin director of Olympic S&C Kevin Schultz has announced that Austin Powell, an S&C doctoral fellow completing his PhD at Wisconsin, will serve as the Badgers' performance technology coordinator while continuing his work with the men's, women's and lightweight rowing programs.

Paul Valukas: Assistant Director of Olympic Strength & Conditioning

For Wisconsin's hockey coaches, Valukas has been a key component of their teams in the past year.

"Paul's been an outstanding addition to our staff," said Tony Granato, UW men's hockey head coach. "I think his professional experience with the LA Kings' organization has helped him understand what young athletes need to continue to develop and grow as players. To use their off-ice conditioning and training to be able to help them on the ice."

"Paul has done a great job working with our players," said Mark Johnson, UW women's hockey head coach. "He has great knowledge about training for hockey, along with a passion and commitment that truly has and will continue to benefit our players. We are lucky to have him."

Valukas joined the Badgers in 2021 after serving as the head strength & conditioning coach for the Ontario Reign, the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings (2019-2021). He also had previously worked with the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.

A UW alum, Valukas provides in-depth understanding of academic programming, course offerings and student-led educational groups on campus that value the core functions embodied by the S&C profession. He'll work to establish cross-campus relationships via engagement with professors, lecturers and students to enhance the S&C department's professional collaboration and opportunities.

Schultz also looks forward to Valukas' work on the technology front for his staff as the Badgers' continue to innovate and lead.

"As the demand of technology within intercollegiate athletics continues to increase, we've made substantial investments into our programming for our student-athletes across multiple facilities and teams," Schultz added. "Paul will serve as our lead at the Kohl Center to support our staff members working with men's and women's basketball and men's and women's hockey."

Austin Powell: Doctoral Fellow and Performance Technology Coordinator

A member of the Badgers S&C team since 2017, Powell began his tenure at UW as an undergraduate intern before working as a graduate assistant and now as a doctoral fellow while completing his degree work at the School of Kinesiology.

"Throughout his six years of service, Austin's become a valued member of our staff," said Schultz. "He's helped support our full-time S&C coaches, worked as our rowing program's strength coach, and now in his new role he'll coordinate our performance technologies and enhance our integration with our Badger Athletic Performance group."

Powell will help to manage the integration of UW's human, sport and performance technologies within weight rooms and practice/competition venues across multiple sports. Additionally, he will work with the Badgers' Forward360 staff to help with the utilization of the athlete management system and serve as liaison to the Badger Athletic Performance group, aiding in the collection, analysis and distribution of surveillance and acute testing metrics.