It’s 6 a.m. on a Wednesday in the Utica University athletic dome, and athletes begin to flow in, greeted by a smile and a loud “good morning!” Quickly, the once quiet dome is the loudest, most active place on campus. This is the atmosphere Nate Fredsell, Utica’s strength and conditioning coach, thrives in.

Originally, Fredsell wanted to be an athletic trainer. His journey started next door at Mohawk Valley Community College, where he spent two years studying sports medicine and athletic training. 

“I taped so many ankles, I was like, ‘I don’t know if  I can do this anymore,’ ’’ Fredsell said. “I don’t even like feet, and I’m taping the ankles of football players.” 

From there he contacted his cousin, who went to school for exercise science and was able to learn more about that job description. 

“I was like, ‘That’s way better than taping ankles and I was right, it is way better,’” he said. 

With his sights on becoming a strength and conditioning coach after he graduated from MVCC, Fredsell furthered his education at Ithaca College where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science. 

He graduated from Ithaca in 2016 and started working at Sports Performance Institute Fitness in Utica. In his first two years at SPI, Fredsell took a summer internship at South Carolina University in 2018 which solidified the career path he wanted to take. 

“That was kind of my next move. I was gonna go work at a big school,” he said. “Then the head guy here left, and they called me, and I was sick of not getting paid and doing a copious amount of work not to get paid, so here I am.” 

The more experience and certifications someone gets, the better off they are in the strength and conditioning world, Fredsell said, because in addition to an exercise science degree, a strength and conditioning coach must be certified. 

Among the student-athletes, Fredsell is known for making connections with everyone on the team, cracking jokes and keeping things interesting. 

“He’s good at what he does; he creates a unique relationship with every student-athlete he trains,” said Hannah Johnson, a senior volleyball player. “His intense passion for our success is what drives him to push us to be our best every day.” 

Bailey McElwain, a senior softball player, said the care Fredsell has for his athletes is unmatched by anyone because he cares about athletes as human beings. 

“If he notices something is wrong, he’ll talk to you,” she said. “He’ll sit there and have a conversation with you even if that means you aren’t working out for a few minutes. He cares more about how you are mentally than physically – he cares about both – but that mental aspect, I’ve never seen a coach truly care about that aspect before.”

Fredsell said he loves his job and doesn’t want to do anything else. He likes to live in the moment and not focus on the next move because it would distract him during his current workouts. 

“I try to be the best that I can here and every day and if somebody comes and gets me and it’s a better opportunity, then someone comes and gets me,” he said. “Until then, I’ll be the best trainer in Utica, New York.”