Urbana University Director of Athletics Larry Cox announced Friday the hiring of Josh Lehman as the new strength and conditioning coach for the Blue Knights. Lehman will begin his new role on Monday, Aug. 1.
“There is a lot of positive momentum right now here at Urbana,” Cox said. “Josh brings extensive experience from working with professional athletes down to the high school level, and I’m excited to have him join our staff. He will be a big contributor to us taking the next step toward success in our programs.”
Lehman, who most recently served as an intern at Ohio State and for the Columbus Blue Jackets, will work with the UU coaches to develop sport-specific training programs. He also worked as Program Director of Performance Training for Integrity Athletics in Plain City, Ohio.
“I am really excited to join the team here at Urbana University,” Lehman said. “I believe the athletes here deserve a high-quality performance training program and I will do my absolute best to make that happen.”
At OSU, Lehman had the opportunity to work with 29 varsity sports. He began working for the Buckeyes in December of 2011 and moved up the ladder from a volunteer to a paid position. His primary responsibilities in Columbus included leading small-group and individual drills, program design and upkeep of the French Field House, Schottenstein Center and Steelwood facilities.
Lehman spent eight months working with professional athletes for the Blue Jackets from Sept. 2014 to April 2015. There, he contributed to the on-ice and off-ice rehabilitation of injured athletes, assisted with program implementation and helped coordinate and evaluate data collection related to athlete performance.
Since June of 2013, Lehman has been involved with Integrity Athletics by designing training programs for high school and college athletes. He assumed his leadership role there during the expansion from a performance-only to an all-purpose training facility.
He got his start in the industry as a personal trainer at Life Time Fitness in Columbus.
Lehman has also been successful in the classroom and is currently working toward a master’s degree in coaching education from Ohio University. He holds two bachelor’s degrees from Ohio State, graduating with a journalism degree in 2008 and exercise science education degree in 2014.
Additionally, Lehman has earned his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Performance Enhancement Specialist certifications.
