Waterville, ME – Thomas College Athletics has announced the hiring of Michael Laverriere as the department's full-time Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. In this role, Laverriere will oversee the development and implementation of comprehensive strength and conditioning programs for all varsity student athletes.
 
Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Andrea Thebarge "We are thrilled to welcome Michael to his new role as our Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. His diverse background across collegiate athletics, military performance, and youth development, combined with his athlete-centered philosophy, makes him an outstanding fit for our department."
 
Laverriere brings a wide range of experience at the collegiate, military, and private sector levels. Most recently, he worked with youth athletes at Skolfield Sports Performance, developing speed, power, strength, agility, change of direction, and injury resilience for athletes ages eight and older in private, semi-private, and team settings. He utilized VALD and Output technologies for performance testing and tracking while also providing nutrition education to athletes and their families.
 
"I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to join the Thomas College community," said Laverriere. "The opportunity to work with a diverse population of college athletes and teams provides a unique challenge. It will force me to lean on the relationships with coaches and administration to provide the best opportunity for every athlete at Thomas College to succeed. There is a great sense of community within the organization that has an aligned goal to give every individual the best experience during their time at Thomas and set them up for their future."
 
Previously Laverriere served as the Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the New Hampshire National Guard, where he designed MOS-specific training and nutrition programs to improve job readiness and reduce injury risk. He managed performance metrics reporting, led app development and education initiatives, aligned programming with long-range training calendars, and conducted body composition testing using InBody technology.
 
As Battalion Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the 10th Mountain Division, Laverriere supported more than 500 soldiers as the subject matter expert in strength, speed, conditioning, and tactical periodization. He integrated wearable technology such as Polar and Oura for readiness monitoring and data analysis, prepared deployment training manuals, trained elite soldiers for advanced military schools and competitions, and collaborated with medical professionals on return-to-play protocols.
 
His collegiate coaching experience includes time with the University of Connecticut Football program and serving as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Maine. In those roles, he contributed to Division I athlete development, collected sport science data using Catapult and Polar systems, taught Lifetime Fitness courses, and assisted in Exercise Physiology and Exercise Prescription coursework.
 
A native of Arundel, Maine, Laverriere earned both his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Master of Education in Kinesiology, with a minor in Human Nutrition, from the University of Maine, Orono. While at Maine, he played fullback for the NCAA Division I UMaine Black Bears football team and was part of the most successful team in program history, capturing a conference championship and advancing to the NCAA FCS national playoffs. He was a multi-year position captain and the recipient of the team's Strength and Conditioning Award, the "Maine Man."
 
Laverriere currently holds several professional certifications, including Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), USA Weightlifting Level 1 (USAW L1), Precision Nutrition Level 1 (PN1), and Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR Levels 1 and 2).
 
"I would describe my style of coaching as athlete-centered," Laverriere added. "I strive to give each athlete the best opportunity to succeed on and off the field. I do this by showing up every day consistently, with the same energy, effort, and compassion. This leads to strong relationships and trust within the organization that helps develop a positive training culture. I meet the athletes where they are at, hold them to a high standard, and create a training environment that is built around effort, competition, and trust."
 
Laverriere will begin his duties on Monday, February 23^rd, 2026. He and will oversee all aspects of strength and conditioning for Thomas College's varsity athletic programs.