Andrew Rauen has been hired as the first coach of the new powerlifting program. Rauen brings experience working with Olympic lifters, powerlifters, collegiate athletes and prep athletes.
Rauen comes to McKendree after spending this past fall as a sports performance intern at Northwestern University. There, Rauen worked with the Wildcats’ sports performance staff to prepare student-athletes in Olympic sports for competition. Rauen worked primarily with the softball, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s soccer and men’s wrestling teams at Northwestern.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity for me,” said Rauen. “Everyone in the athletic department here is energized by all the things that have been going on the last couple of years, and I want to be in that kind of environment to begin my coaching career. Although I’m only a few years into my professional career, to me there’s nothing like the atmosphere and possibilities that collegiate athletics hold. I cannot wait to get started and develop this program.”
In addition to his time spent at Northwestern, Rauen founded and served as a performance coach at Chicago Barbell in his hometown of Highland Park, Ill. At Chicago Barbell, Rauen was in charge of business operations and programming as well as working with prep athletes to reach their goals.
Rauen also gained valuable experience in coaching at Grit Gym in Iowa City, Iowa, as well as through an internship as a strength and conditioning coach at Cornell College. Rauen also interned and trained with the Westside Power lifting team at Westside Barbell in Columbus, Ohio.
A three-year member of the football program at Ohio University, Rauen was an offensive lineman and long snapper for the Bobcats playing under coach Frank Solich. Rauen then transferred to the University of Iowa, where he completed requirements for a bachelor’s degree in recreation management in 2011.
