Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Kevin Miller, Assistant AD/Director of Sports Performance, kevin.r.miller@villanova.edu 

The Villanova Sports Performance staff is committed to ensuring the safety of every student-athlete while training both in and out of the weight room. We will take whatever measures necessary to keep you safe when training in the weight room and on the field.

Yes. When we return to campus, student-athletes will be required to maintain six feet distance while training in the weight room. Coaches will do their best maintain 6-10 feet of distance while coaching in the weight room.

Student-athletes will be required to wear face coverings in the athletic training room, weight room, university vehicles, and while indoors in all athletic buildings. The use of face coverings outside while training and during competition is also required at this time as well. However, if situations arise where student athletes can maintain a social distance of six feet or greater outdoors during conditioning sessions, then the use of a mask for outdoor training will be optional.

Strength training in the weight room will be limited to groups of no more than 16 student-athletes at one time. Social distancing and appropriate ventilation protocols will be followed. All student-athletes and coaches in the weight room will be required to wear masks. Group training in Davis will be limited to 3-4 people at a time.

The goal is to keep teams together.  However, depending on the size of the team it may require splitting the team into smaller groups. For example if a team has a roster of 35 student-athletes, we would split the team into smaller groups.

We will do our best to maintain a similar schedule as last year. However, we may need to adjust the training schedule based on class schedules and team practice schedules.

Here are a few key changes that will be implemented once student-athletes arrive for their strength training workout.

1. Student-athletes will no longer be crowded together and wait outside the doors of the weight room to be let into the gym. Student-athletes will have a designated area in the hallway where they can stand to ensure a safe distance from others.

2. Student-athletes can expect to have their temperature taken by a coach or a member of the sports medicine staff upon entering the weight room. If their temperature shows signs of a fever, they will be instructed to meet with the sports medicine staff. When warming up we will utilize the entire weight room. Student-athletes will be spread out six feet apart during the warmup. No longer will everyone just be on the turf.

3. After the workout, student-athletes lifting will not come together in a tight circle. Rather they will maintain six feet of distance and the coach will give instructions from 10 feet away.

4. Every effort will be made to reduce sharing of equipment. If equipment is shared it will be wiped down before use by another student-athlete.

5. At the end of the workout both coaches and student-athletes will wipe down equipment for the next training session.

6. Student-athletes will leave the weight room at Nevin via the garage doors to reduce the chance of having more than one team in the hallway.

In Nevin, sessions will be approximately 40-45 minutes. In Davis, the sessions will be approximately 45-60 minutes.

All of the nutrition products will be handed out after the session by a coach. Also, there will be no protein shakes made for student-athletes. All products will be prepackaged.

No. Every effort will be made to keep student-athletes together in the same group in the weight room for the semester. Our goal is to reduce exposure across teams in the weight room.

No, if a student-athlete misses a lift or wants to get in some extra work, he or she will need to contact one of the sports performance coaches to schedule a time to lift.

No. At this time, the only people who will be allowed to use the weight room will be current Villanova students and staff. Approval must be made with the sports performance staff before any staff use the weight room.

Yes. Water fountains will no longer be in individual use, but can be used to fill up a personal water bottle. 

Student-athletes are welcome to bring their own personal hand sanitizer. However, there will be multiple hand sanitizing stations set up.

Equipment will be wiped down after every training session. Also, at the end of each day a full cleaning will be done by the staff.

No. A daily self-assessment will be completed by student-athletes, which includes questions related to health. Under no circumstances should a student-athlete come to a training session if he or she has cold or flu symptoms.

The tentative schedule right now is 6 a.m-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.  If a weekend session is necessary it will be by appointment only with a sports performance coach. Also, under no circumstances are any student-athletes allowed in the weight room past 6 p.m. without the supervision of a coach.