Christian Polega brings university and MLB experience to the Fighting Irish program.
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy's athletic department announced today that Christian Polega, MHA, RSCC, USAW-1, is taking over its strength and conditioning program, effective immediately. Polega takes over for Jake Siebert, who has moved out of state where he and his wife have taken new employment.
Polega said he is thrilled about his new role at Notre Dame and looks forward to getting started immediately.
"When I found out that NDPMA was hiring a strength and conditioning coach, I pursued the position, first and foremost, because since it's a full-time position, the school obviously has the student-athlete’s well-being top of mind," he said. "I'm also excited to have been selected to contribute to a great program for a great school and to help its student-athletes get even better."
Betty Wroubel, Notre Dame's athletic director, is pleased with her department's new hire.
"We are elated to be able to add someone with the experience and qualifications that Christian possesses, having worked in high school, collegiate and professional athletics," Wroubel said. "He came highly recommended to us and stood out among a field of what we felt were very strong applicants for this position. We are very proud of the strength and conditioning program that was established at NDPMA under Jake Siebert and believe that Christian’s vision and leadership will help build upon an already strong program.”
Polega comes to Notre Dame from Bloomfield Hills High School, where he was director of sports performance and had direct responsibility for the strength and conditioning of all high-school student-athletes at the school. Prior to BHHS, he was a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Detroit Mercy, responsible for athletes playing softball, basketball soccer and track and field among others. Before UDM, Polega served in coaching or strength and conditioning positions with the University of Montana; University of Wisconsin; Brookfield East High School in Brookfield, Wisc.; and Muskego High School, located in Muskego, Wisc.
Polega also worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Milwaukee Brewers minor-league affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
A resident of Shelby Township, Mich., Polega holds a master's degree in health services administration from UD Mercy and earned a B.S. degree in kinesiology – exercise science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he also earned a certificate in strength and conditioning from the school's College of Health Sciences.
He is certified as a registered strength and conditioning coach and specialist, and holds certification as a USAW level-1 sport performance coach. He also is CPR/AED-certified by the American Heart Association.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named Michigan's best 50 Catholic high school three of the last four years (Niche.com). Notre Dame's lower and middle schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All Notre Dame schools have been authorized by International Baccalaureate as "World Schools" and the entire institution is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers. It is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org