COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The success of Tennessee Tech women's basketball on the court, in the classroom and in the community over the last four years has been well-documented.
Ask any coach, and they will be the first to acknowledge the important role a strong strength and conditioning program plays in any winning program. Coach Matt Hewett, Tennessee Tech's Director of Athletic Performance, took over the reins as the strength coach for women's basketball in the spring of 2018, and his impact was felt immediately.
The "Iron Eagle" Award was one of the ways Hewett helped encourage healthy competition and pride in the weight room, and it is a prestigious honor within the team culture.
"This is the third year we have presented this award," Hewett said. "I love giving out this award because it cultivates the competitive nature of our women's basketball team."
The "Iron Eagle" Award is based on the individual's strength and athletic ability, utilizing seven different strength and power tests with a scaled metric grade for each test. To earn the honor of being an "Iron Eagle", players must earn a combined score of 92.5 to 100 in the 7 areas.
The team recently held its annual competition at the end of summer workouts. The 2022 "Iron Eagle" award winners are freshman Reghan Grimes and junior Ansley Hall.
Both Grimes and Hall had outstanding summers in the weight room, and both are looking forward to their hard work paying off on the court for the Golden Eagles this season.
"Reghan Grimes is an athletic phenom. She is already one of the strongest on the team as a freshman. The sky is the limit for her, and I can't wait to see what the future brings on the court as well as in the weight room." Hewett stated.
Hall has earned this prestigious honor for the second consecutive year. Last season, she joined Peyton Carter, Megan Clark and Kesha Brady as Iron Eagles.
"Ansley displays a ton of grit in the weight room. She is very strong and one of the hardest workers that we have on the team. Her work ethic stands out, and that's why she has won this award twice now." said Hewett.
Now in his 10th year at Tennessee Tech, Hewett took over as Director of Athletic Performance in 2018. With his staff, Hewett has helped mold Golden Eagle student-athletes and prepare them for the rigorous demands of their sports. He personally knows what it takes to make champions, as he competed with CrossFit Mayhem Freedom to win 3 CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup Championships from 2015-2018. He also brought home a 2nd place finish in that time, but in the spirit of true competition he says, "We don't talk about Bruno."
Fans can get their first glimpse of the 2022-23 roster during the Annual "Biscuits and Basketball" event that will be held on Saturday, October 22.
