Sowders, Gearhart earn Master Strength & Conditioning Coach from CSCCA

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A pair of football strength & conditioning coaches have earned the honor of Master Strength & Conditioning Coach – the highest honor that can be achieved by a strength and conditioning coach – from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.

Director of Strength & Conditioning Ben Sowders and Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning Ryan Gearhart received the honor earlier this year. The title of Master Strength & Conditioning Coach represents professionalism, knowledge, experience, expertise and longevity in the field. To earn the distinguished status, a strength and conditioning coach must be an active member of the CSCCA, be a strength and conditioning certified coach and a full-time collegiate and/or professional strength and conditioning coach for a minimum of 12 years.

Sowders and Gearhart enter their second season at Arkansas this fall.

Sowders joined the Hogs after spending the 2022 season at Louisville as the Director of Strength & Conditioning for the Cardinals.

Sowders worked with Head Coach Sam Pittman at Georgia during the 2018-19 seasons – Sowders’ first of four seasons with the Bulldogs. As the Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning, he worked with 20 student-athletes that went onto play in the NFL while also helping the Dawgs to the 2022 National Championship and three trips to the SEC Championship Game.

Prior to his time at Georgia, the Bowling Green, Ky. native spent one season at McNeese State as the Director of Strength & Conditioning. The Cowboys posted a 9-2 record in his lone season in Lake Charles, La. Sowders spent two seasons at Georgia Tech (2015-16) after two seasons at Gardner-Webb, where he was responsible for the training of the Bulldogs’ 21 Division I programs.

His first full-time collegiate position was at Southern Miss, where he led the strength and conditioning efforts for the Golden Eagles’ men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and softball programs while assisting with football. Prior to his time in Hattiesburg, Miss., he fulfilled a six-month internship at Alabama, where he worked with the Crimson Tide’s football, volleyball, tennis and rowing teams.

Gearhart joined the Arkansas football program in the spring of 2023 after spending the previous 10 years at Georgia. With the Bulldogs, he worked multiple sports including baseball, softball, diving and cheerleading.

During his time with the Dawgs, he was a part of multiple successful programs. He helped the 2014 swimming and diving team to a national championship. His work with softball helped produce Women’s College World Series appearances in 2016 and 2018 along with a SEC Tournament title in 2014. The Bulldogs’ baseball team earned a Top 8 national seed twice (2018, 2019) and made four NCAA Regional appearances (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022).

Prior to Georgia, Gearheart spent time working at Ohio State, Eastern Michigan and Kent State. He worked with baseball programs beginning in 2010 while serving in the role as a Graduate Assistant at Eastern Michigan. After his time at Eastern, Gearheart was hired by Coach Scott Stricklin at Kent State. In his first year, KSU earned its first appearance in the College World Series in school history. While at KSU, Gearheart also served as a nutritional specialist for multiple athletic teams. His work experience also includes a stint at D1 Sports Training in Nashville, Tenn., where he was a facility coordinator/head speed and strength coach.