The University of Illinois Springfield Athletics Department has announced two new additions to its Strength and Conditioning Office. Ryan Johnson has been named the program's new Director of Strength and Conditioning, and Morgan Edwards returns to UIS as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.
 
Johnson is the second person to oversee the Prairie Stars Strength and Conditioning program since it was started at UIS in 2016.
 
Johnson comes to UIS from the University of Missouri, where he was the Assistant Director of Athletic Performance for Olympic Sports since 2018. Johnson was responsible for the athletic performance program for the Missouri baseball team, and assisted with the cross country, track and field, and swimming programs. He also assisted in the development and implementation of the internship program.
 
Johnson was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Southeast Missouri State University from 2011-2018. At Southeast Missouri, he supervised, educated, and managed all strength and conditioning staff personnel. From 2015-18, he was responsible for the sports performance program for the men's and women's basketball programs. During Johnson's time there, he also worked with the volleyball, softball, baseball, women's soccer, track sprinters, women's gymnastics, and football programs.
 
Among his accomplishments at Southeast Missouri include developing a nutrition center next to the weight room for student-athletes, and designing a complete renovation of the strength and conditioning facility.
 
From 2006-2011, Johnson worked in the Strength and Conditioning Office at Delaware State University, including serving as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for two years. At Delaware State, he designed and implemented comprehensive strength and conditioning programs for all of their sports.
 
Johnson has also worked as a Strength and Conditioning Intern for the University of Iowa football team in 2006, was a Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 2004-06, and a Strength and Conditioning Intern at Central College in 2004.
 
Johnson is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC), and Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC). Other certifications include Level 1 Precision Nutrition, Level 1 and 2 Functional Movement Screen, FRCms and FRA Functional Anatomy, and First Aid/CPR/AED.
 
Johnson was a three-year letterwinner from 2001-03 for the Central College football team. He was a team captain, an academic all-conference selection, and the winner of the 2003 Mentink Award, given for sportsmanship and leadership on and off the field. He participated in rugby for a variety of teams from 2004-2010, including making four MARFU Sevens All-Star teams while playing for the Wilmington Rugby Football Club.
 
Johnson graduated from Central College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Science major. He earned his Masters of Arts degree in Exercise Science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2006.
 
Edwards returns to UIS after being a student and a star softball player from 2016-19.

Last year, Edwards served as the Strength and Conditioning Coach at Purdue Northwest. She assisted with the volleyball, women's basketball, men's volleyball, cross country, and tennis programs. Among her duties was helping to develop workout plans, instructing on the correct lifting form, and motivating athletes. Edwards was also an assistant coach for the Purdue Northwest softball team.
 
Edwards was an intern with the Strength and Conditioning program at UIS in 2018-19. She was also a three-year letterwinner on the softball team. In 2018 and 2019, she was named to the second-team all-GLVC team. In those three seasons, the Prairie Stars went 100-68, won one GLVC Championship, and advanced to two NCAA Division II regionals and one NCAA Division II Super Regional.
 
Edwards ranks in the top-10 in 11 offensive career categories in the UIS softball record book. Among those rankings are second with 21 home runs, third with 92 RBI, and fourth with 221 total bases.
 
Edwards graduated from UIS in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. She was certified in AED and CPR in 2019.