USA Women's Hockey home  |  USA Powerlifting home  | Northeastern write-ups from Powerlifting Nationals (Men and Women)

Two Northeastern strength and conditioning coaches, Mike Zawilinski and Sarah Cahill, have been tabbed to lead Team USA squads in upcoming international events. Zawilinski was named the head coach of Team USA for the North American Regional Powerlifting Championship, while Cahill will assist head strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle with the USA Hockey women's team.

In addition to his duties as one of Northeastern's strength and conditioning assistant coaches, Zawilinski coaches Northeastern's club powerlifting squad, which was how he came across the Team USA job. "The support is really cool because the sport is kind of an undergound sport," Zawilinski said. "Any time you can can spread the word about it and let people know its there, it's good for the sport and it's good for our current club team here."

Zawilinski, whose power lifting team competes on a national level, has found a pipeline of Northeastern student-athletes who have completed their varsity eligibilty to stock his rosters. Former NU track athletes including Seri Gordon, Heather Crocker and Shaina Petit all competed for Zawilinski at the 2012 Collegiate Nationals in Baton Rouge, La. Several lifters, both male and female, earned All-American status as a result of their performances at Nationals.

"Just from our experience competing at national levels, Northeastern's on the map," Zawilinski said. He added that competing in these events, "gives some exposure for Northeastern to a new demographic and it says 'hey, we're doing cool things and we're not afraid to get our hands dirty.'"

Zawilinski said that part of what has led to his current and future success, both with his powerlifting squad and his varsity athletes, is the facilities Northeastern provides. "The facilities themselves are second to none," he said. "We have everything somebody could ask for in our position...the highest quality equipment, the latest techonology and I think it has really helped to develop our athletes and keep them injury-free.

"I think any recruit who has any understanding of a weight room and equipment is [going to] walk in and see the best quality stuff [which] they're not seeing at other schools."

Cahill's role as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach at NU has led to her beginning work with Northeastern's nationally-ranked women's hockey team. She says her Team USA experience will shape how she works with that program.

"Working with such high-caliber athletes is going to teach me a tremendous amount about what it takes to compete at that level, and you better believe I'm [going to] bring back all the skills I learn from them," Cahill said. "The USA athletes set the bar higher for our athletes here; they show me what's possible with the right methodology, training and determination."

In her role with Team USA, Cahill will work under head strength and condition coach Mike Boyle. It was Boyle who recommended Cahill to Reagan Carey, USA Hockey's director of women's hockey. Cahill says that it was not the first time Boyle has had a major impact on her career.

"Mike Boyle directly changed my life as an athlete," Cahill said.

As a freshman recruit to the UNH women's lacrosse team in the early 2000s, Cahill said she was cut from the squad because her coaches said she "wasn't good enough." That is when she went to Boyle for help.

"I walked into his facility on a whim and told him I would clean the whole center if he trained me," she recalls. Boyle told her he didn't need her to clean, but that he would train her if she interned for him. He told her the next group started in twenty minutes.

"I jumped in and trained there for six months, and I went from not being not good enough to be on the team to full scholarship, and then captain two years in a row," she said. "His program and methodology directly changed my life, so the opportunity to work with him again was something I was really looking forward to."

Like Zawilinski, Cahill is grateful for the support she has received from Northeastern as she works on the international level. "Northeastern is incredibly supportive of us achieving our professional potential...anything that helps me grow and learn as a coach, the staff here has really pushed me to do," she said. "Anything I've mentioned to them that I'm interested in, the staff has been extremely interested in helping me achieve that passion...it's been great."

Adding to her comfort level with Northeastern and USA Hockey is the presence of one of Northeastern's biggest stars, reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Year Kendall Coyne. Coyne has been a member of the US national team for more than a year, and Cahill appreciates working with a fellow Husky.

"It's really nice to have a familiar face when I'm with the girls over there," Cahill said about Coyne. "I'm lucky I get to spend a lot of time with her- she's a great kid and she's really motivated."

The North American regional powerlifting championships take place July 25-28 in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. USA women's hockey just completed a training trip in Colorado, and Cahill will join them for their next competition.