ORANGEBURG, SC--- South Carolina Department of Athletics announced the addition of Dan Bardgett as the Director of Olympic Sports Performance.

 Bardgett joined the staff in early July and will be responsible for all aspects of athletic performance training for women's basketball, women's volleyball, and women's soccer, while also assisting with football.

 Prior to joining SC State, Bardgett completed a short stint at Lindenwood University with the football program, while also serving as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at D1 Training in O'Fallon, Missouri, working with youth,  high school, and adult athletes.

 Bardgett previously held a graduate fellowship at Merrimack College, where he led strength and conditioning for four Division I programs: men's soccer, women's basketball, women's swimming, and women's rowing.

 Before Merrimack, Bardgett completed two internships with the University of Connecticut's Olympic Sports Performance program.

 He earned his M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science (Strength and Conditioning concentration) from Merrimack College, and his B.S. in Exercise Science from Seton Hill University.

 Prior to his academic and coaching career, Bardgett served eight years in the United States Marine Corps, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was a certified Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) Instructor and High-Intensity Tactical Training (HITT) Instructor.

 Bardgett holds certifications as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and as a Certified Exercise Physiologist (EP-C) through the American College of Sports Medicine.

 A native of St. Louis, Missouri, he now resides in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
 
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South Carolina State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 14 sports: women's volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track & field, softball, men's and women's outdoor track and field, women's soccer and football with all teams competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), except for women's soccer.
 
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