GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Director of Strength and Conditioning Nate Baukol announced that Will Ratelle and Alex McKee-Crow have been hired as strength and conditioning assistants for North Dakota Athletics on Thursday.
 
The department oversees the year-round development and training of UND's 17 varsity sports, working with numerous All-Americans and eventual national champions across a variety of sports.
 
About Ratelle
A former All-American linebacker for the Fighting Hawks, Ratelle returns to UND to work full-time as a strength and conditioning assistant for the men's and women's tennis programs along with providing assistance with the football and women's basketball teams.
 
Ratelle previously served as an intern in the department under Baukol from 2015-2017, helping to develop and apply speed and agility drills for the football program that eventually captured the 2016 Big Sky title and reached the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs for the first time in program history.
 
Following his collegiate career, Ratelle transitioned to the offensive side of the ball and saw action on special teams for the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL during the 2016-17 season. Last year, Ratelle went back to his natural linebacker spot for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
 
A 2015 graduate of UND with a Bachelor of Science, Ratelle is currently certified by the CSCS and hopes to obtain his CSCCa certification in the spring of 2019.
 
Baukol on Ratelle:
" Being a product of North Dakota Strength and the University of North Dakota, Will is an excellent addition to the staff. His energy, passion, and professional experience will no doubt help the program and our student-athletes succeed."
 
About McKee-Crow:
A dual-sport athlete at Coe College, McKee-Crow comes to North Dakota as a strength and conditioning assistant for both the indoor and outdoor track & field programs.
 
McKee-Crow's most recent stop prior to UND was as an intern with the University of Iowa football program where he was tasked with demonstrating proper techniques to the coaching staff. He also assisted in the FMS testing of student-athletes and gained valuable exposure working with GPS, heart rate variability, and Tendo equipment.
 
McKee-Crow obtained his Master of Science degree in Human Performance from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and also served as a graduate assistant in the sports performance department. There, he contributed to the development of over 10 varsity programs as well as developing the weight training program for the wrestling team during the offseason.
 
While working towards his undergraduate degree at Coe College, McKee-Crow worked as an intern in the strength and conditioning department where he collaborated with the head strength and condition coach as well as fellow interns in the implementation of the off-season training program for the volleyball team. McKee-Crow also assisted with more than 11 varsity programs at the university.
 
A four-time letterwinner in track and field and football at Coe College, McKee-Crow is a certified strength and conditioning specialist by the NSCA as well as a certified sports nutritionist by the ISSN.
 
Baukol on McKee-Crow:
"I am excited to announce the addition of Alex to our staff. Alex's T&F experience and background will be a huge asset for our program and our student-athletes."