Cory Chapp
Inaugural Class Member Excels
Before Cory Chapp came to Merrimack, he had worked with midwest schools and colleges in Wisconsin and Michigan as a strength and assistant coach with men’s and women’s hockey teams. He decided to attend Merrimack to build on the skills he had gained from working in the field.
Cory was a part of the inaugural class of graduate students in the M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science program. During Cory’s time as a master’s student, he was a graduate fellow in the Strength and Conditioning department, which allowed him to work across Merrimack’s athletic teams, develop relationships with student-athletes and pursue independent research projects in the field.
After earning his M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science in 2016, Cory went on to work under the MLB umbrella, where he was a Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Chicago Cubs Baseball team. Then he started a new journey as a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
“I don’t think there’s an experience in my life that has quite impacted me as much as being at Merrimack has.”
Amazing Fellowship Opportunity
“I had been fortunate to work at two D-1 universities prior to getting my master’s, and I thought I already knew everything. Then I came to Merrimack and started learning from other people and from the coaches. I realized I had a lot more to learn.”
His classes prepared him well, but having the opportunity to have hands-on work is what helped him stand out in the job search. During his fellowship, Cory was prepared to excel as a successful strength and conditioning coach in all aspects of the role. “At Merrimack, I specifically worked with men’s soccer and women’s rowing, and then I helped with field hockey and volleyball,” Cory recalled. “We were constantly taught to be open-minded, try to always keep learning and growing, and to be willing to learn. The whole culture that we had at Merrimack was really, really strong.”
“Our work there comes up all the time in my current role. Anytime somebody asks me about coaching, I bring up something from Merrimack. We learned how to work together so well and those working connections can be so fruitful and turn into lifelong friendships.”
Read more about Cory’s experience in professional baseball as a Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coach.
