FAYETTE, Iowa - Upper Iowa Vice President of Athletics Rick Hartzell has announced the addition of Clayton Denker as the Director of Strength and Conditioning.
"I love Clayton's energy and passion for strength and conditioning," Hartzell said. "He clearly understands how important his leadership, energy and knowledge of the field are to our athletes. Clayton will make a huge difference here and will be another in our recent history of outstanding head strength and conditioning coaches."
Denker served as a Strength Graduate Assistant at South Dakota, where he earned his master's degree in kinesiology and sports management with a specialization in exercise science. During his time there, he worked with the football team and the Olympic sports programs. The Coyotes went 10-5 with an FCS Playoff appearance during his time with the team in 2025.
He is a native of Bellwood, Nebraska, a town that had a population of 407 people in 2020. Denker is enthusiastic about working in a similar small-town community in Fayette.
"The biggest draw for me was the opportunity Upper Iowa provides to impact athletes with as many teams as possible," Denker said. "Being able to work with multiple different teams and serve many athletes in this community is incredibly exciting. It also means a lot to me to serve a community that is built on family values. A lot of things reminded me of home, and that's what made this the right place for me."
After completing his master's degree this past winter, Denker worked as a Football Strength and Conditioning Intern at Notre Dame. During his time in South Bend, he helped support the team's Pro Day and NFL Draft preparation. He also helped with the team's spring program.
Denker also has experience as an athlete, playing football for South Dakota from 2021-24. He played in 34 games, totaled 13 tackles and earned CSC Academic All-District® honors. Denker earned his bachelor's degree in 2024 after posting a 4.0 GPA.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to use everything I've learned, both personally and professionally, with every single team here," Denker said. "The opportunity to mentor others and build up young coaches around me excites me as well."
Denker wants to continue to build upon the strength program at Upper Iowa, rooting his philosophy in the values of accountability and personal growth for the student-athletes.
"The biggest philosophy is having a 1-0 mentality," Denker said. "It's about staying present every day and approaching everything you do with a purpose. Regardless of what is going on in life, you hold on to why you're here and why you compete. Above all else, just know that the expectations and standards are high, and it never wavers. I want to be able to have that mentality while building relationships and having a holistic development with every team."
