Athletic Performance

Mission

Our mission is to develop strong, resilient, and disciplined students through a safe, structured, and challenging athletic performance program. We are committed to enhancing athletic performance, reducing injury risk, and fostering lifelong habits of fitness and wellness.

By emphasizing consistent effort, accountability, and proper technique, we strive to build confidence, mental toughness, and a team-first mindset. Our goal is to equip students with the character, discipline, and work ethic to succeed not only in the weight room and on the field, but also in the classroom and throughout life.

Program Philosophy

Prioritize Long-Term Development: Focus on developing athletes for lifelong success rather than pursuing short-term performance gains.
Master Movement First: Emphasize movement quality, consistency, and progressive improvement over intensity alone. Every athlete learns proper technique, body control, and movement mechanics before increasing load or speed.
Build Complete Athletes: Develop strength, power, speed, mobility, and resilience through a balanced, sport-specific training approach that prepares athletes for success in any sport.
Lead with Character: Foster discipline, accountability, and consistent effort. We train with purpose, compete with integrity, and embrace challenges as opportunities for physical and mental growth.
Create Lifelong Learners: Value education as much as execution. Athletes learn why they train, how to train safely and effectively, and how to take ownership of their health, performance, and overall well-being long after they leave the program.

Curriculum and Equipment

List of 6 items.

Lower School
- K - 4th Grade (2 times per week)
Using multi-faceted and holistic approaches, students participate in an age-appropriate fitness curriculum that addresses growth and development and focuses on taking care of their bodies and minds. The program is organized by division and is designed to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness, musculoskeletal fitness, and flexibility. In Lower School, the students improve their understanding of fitness and their motor development through cooperative games and other activities.
- Strong Saints (once per week)
Our Strong Saints program at the Lower School is run by Lachlan Puyol. It is voluntary for students who want to improve their cardiovascular endurance, speed, and strength. Students meet before school during the week and learn various resistance training exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups that aim to enhance athletic performance and lifting competency. This is combined with fun games that aim to improve acceleration and deceleration, endurance and teamwork.
Middle School
- 5th Grade (5 times per week)
- 6th / 7th / 8th Grade (4 times per week)
Students will develop and improve the health- and skill-related components of physical fitness through a variety of activities and our Strong Saints fitness assessments. Throughout the year, students will participate in 4 different courses focusing on enhancing their cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, speed, agility, power, flexibility, coordination, and overall fitness while learning proper movement techniques, goal-setting strategies, and the importance of maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle.
Upper School
- Trains with their In-Season Sports team (2-3 times a week)
Students will develop and improve the physical qualities necessary to safely and effectively perform the demands of their sport through structured strength and conditioning programs. Throughout the program, athletes will enhance strength, power, speed, agility, mobility, coordination, and conditioning while learning proper movement and training techniques. Athletes will also develop discipline, accountability, teamwork, and an understanding of how consistent training and preparation contribute to long-term athletic development and success. The athletes also have the option to come in for extra training during their study hall times throughout the school day.
Equipment
- 17 Hammer Strength Racks
- 18 45lb Olympic Barbells, 9 35lb Women’s Olympic Barbells, 5 15lb Youth Barbells, 7 Trap Barbells, 4 Safety Squat Barbells
- iPads Mounted to each Power Rack
- Dumbbells ranging from 5-100lbs
- Medicine Balls ranging from 4-25lbs
- Full indoor gym attached
TeamBuildr
- All students grade 5-12 have an account with Teambuildr. We use this software to mass distribute workouts, customize individual programs, and track progress.
- Students can access workouts remotely on the mobile app, or on the rack mounted iPads while working out in the weight room.
- "Trusted by the Best." St. Andrew's Athletic Performance Program utilizes Teambuildr, a software that is used by professional teams (NFL, MLB, NBA, D1 NCAA) across the nation.
Vald
- Our program utilizes VALD Performance technology, including Smart Speed Timing Gate System and the Smart Jump Mat, to objectively measure and track athletic performance.
- Speed Gates allow us to accurately measure sprint times, acceleration, and speed, giving coaches reliable data to track athlete development over time.
- The Jump Mat measures jumping performance, allowing us to assess explosive power and monitor changes in an athlete’s performance throughout the year.
- VALD testing gives our coaches objective information that can be used to individualize training, measure progress, and help athletes understand their development.

List of 1 members.

Connor Gibson

Director of Athletic Performance

(601) 853-6000

B.A. Health and Movement Studies, Hanover College
M.S. Kinesiology and Health Promotion, University of Kentucky

“I’m incredibly excited to be part of a community that values excellence, character, and student development. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the coaches, faculty, and administration to help build a culture of discipline, accountability, and growth. My goal is to create an athletic performance program that not only helps students succeed in competition, but also prepares them for success in life beyond sports.”

Connor Gibson, MS, CSCS, brings extensive experience in collegiate strength and conditioning, having worked with student-athletes across multiple sports at the Division I and Division III levels.

Gibson began his coaching career at Hanover College as a student intern before continuing his development at the University of Kentucky, where he served as a Coaching Assistant, Graduate Assistant and then Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach. During his time at Kentucky, he worked with all 23 Wildcat athletic programs, including the 2020 NCAA National Championship women’s volleyball team and the 2024 Kentucky baseball program that advanced to the College World Series. He also had the opportunity to work with multiple athletes who went on to be selected in the NFL and MLB Draft. His experience at Kentucky provided him with an opportunity to work alongside high-level collegiate athletes competing at the highest levels of their respective sports.

In 2024, Gibson joined Carthage College as the Associate Director of Sports Performance and Head Football Strength & Conditioning Coach. During his time at Carthage, he designed and implemented strength, speed, and conditioning programs for more than 120 football student-athletes and coached five All-Conference players. He worked closely with coaches, athletic trainers, and physical therapists to support athlete development, performance, and injury prevention while helping establish a positive and competitive training culture.