MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Tech Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Carl Putman is excited to announce the hire of Paola Díaz Morell as the Panthers' new Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. 
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Paola to the Florida Tech Family," said Putman. "Paola brings a competitive background as a collegiate soccer player. In addition, Paola has wealth of experience and insight from working at the University of Florida with some of the top athletes in the world, including some recent Olympians from the Tokyo Olympics. 
 
"I am highly confident that she will make a positive impact on our program and our scholar-athletes, and will deliver integrity, intensity and performance to our strength and conditioning and performance team. We are excited for Paola to be a Panther!"
 
Díaz Morell comes to Florida Tech after serving as a strength and conditioning intern and coach at the University of Florida from April 2018 to July 2021. 

"I am very excited to be joining the Panthers," said Díaz Morell. "Thank you Coach Carl, Athletic Director Jamie Joss, and the rest of the staff for the opportunity and for being very welcoming, it has been great."
 
During her time at UF, Díaz Morell assisted with the implementation of resistance training sessions for the women's golf, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, women's and men's track & field, women's and men's swimming & diving and cheerleading team. She aided with the introduction of resistance training and Olympic Weightlifting techniques to new freshman or transfer athletes. She also facilitated in the set-up and breakdown of performance training sessions for NCAA Division I Olympic Sport teams. 
 
Díaz Morell had the opportunity to work with a number of championship-winning teams at UF, including the Gators' three-time reigning SEC Championship Gymnastics team, the 2019 SEC championship men's swimming team, the 2019 SEC Champion volleyball team, and the 2019 NCAA Championship winning men's indoor track team. Additionally, she helped train numerous Olympic gold medal winning athletes and world record holders, including Grant Holloway, Caleb Dressel, Deanne Rose, Yanis David, Raymond Ekevwo, Kyra Jefferson, and Marquis Dendy.
 
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Díaz Morell earned a bachelors' degree in integrative biology from the University of Puerto Rico in May 2016. She then received her master's degree in applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida in December 2018. 
 
Díaz Morell is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, a NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, a USAW Level 1 Sports Performance Coach and American Red Cross certified in First Aid CPR/AED.
 
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