Hobart and William Smith Colleges Athletics

Chris Gray was promoted to associate athletic director for sports performance and strategic initiatives in November of 2021. In his current role, he assists with the department's long-term planning, has sport oversight responsibility, supervises the sports medicine team and assists in the development of the Napier Leadership Seminar and the Peak Performance Plan. A member of the HWS Athletics staff since 2018, Gray continues to serve as the head strength and conditioning coach as well.
 
Gray returned to his native New York State from Cincinnati, where he was performance operations manager at Ignition Athletic Performance Group. A National Strength and Conditioning Association certified strength and conditioning specialist, he brought close to a decade of experience to the Statesmen and Heron athletic programs. He joined Ignition APG in the spring of 2017 as a senior performance specialist and director of high school programming and was later promoted to oversee all of Ignition APG’s trainer operations.
 
Gray has extensive experience working with collegiate student-athletes at both Division I and Division III institutions. He spent two years as the assistant director of strength and condition at the University of Cincinnati, working with the Bearcats’ football, women’s soccer, tennis and cross country teams. Before heading to UC, he spent one season at Villanova University as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for football.
 
His professional career began in coaching at the Division III level, first graduate assistant football coach at Ithaca College and then at Hartwick College. With the Hawks, he also served as the football program’s strength and condition coach. Gray spent the next four seasons at Misericordia University, providing strength and conditioning coaching for all 24 of the Cougars’ varsity teams while serving as an assistant football coach.
 
Gray earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in physical education from Ithaca. Gray was an offensive lineman for the Bombers, earning D3football.com All-America third team honors in 2008.
 
In addition to his strength and conditioning certification, Gray is a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified fitness nutrition specialist and a USA Weightlifting certified coach.