Student Spotlight

“No two people are the same, so painting everyone with the same brush ignores what makes each athlete excel.” – Megan Downes

Megan Downes runs her own coaching business, splitting her work between strength and conditioning for GAA teams and individual athletes, and healthy ageing and women's health. An intercounty footballer, she currently holds the S&C role with the Clare Senior men's [...]

By |2026-10-05T12:54:21+01:00October 5th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“In any sport, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t apply anywhere.” – Cian O’Dea

Cian O'Dea was a Clare Senior Footballer for nine years and a New York Footballer for three, he now works as a GAA Games Development Officer in New York, having previously held similar roles with Clare GAA and Éire Óg [...]

By |2026-09-30T15:22:15+01:00September 30th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“The field is ever-changing, so remain keen to learn and challenge your own thinking.” – Eamonn Cox

Eamonn Cox came to strength and conditioning through a lifetime in sport, from GAA and boxing as a child to BJJ and Thai boxing, before the gym became a fixture in his early twenties. He is a graduate of the [...]

By |2026-09-14T12:34:49+01:00September 14th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“Injuries are never linear, and that has changed how I approach every return-to-performance case.” – Taygan Robson

Taygan Robson is the founder and director of 1INC Consulting, a multi-disciplinary online performance practice. A semi-professional racer across mountain biking, Xterra off-road and adventure racing in South Africa for nearly two decades, he has built his career around the [...]

By |2026-09-07T13:49:07+01:00September 7th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“It felt important to practice what I was preaching.” – Yulia Tsarenko Carey

Yulia Tsarenko Carey is a Licensed Professional Counselor based in the Portland, Oregon area, and the founder of Oris Counseling, LLC.  She is a graduate of the MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology with Setanta College. Below, Yulia discusses [...]

By |2026-09-01T11:44:17+01:00September 1st, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“Be a sponge for knowledge. Ask questions, observe carefully, and never assume you know everything.” – Wolta (Tokkie) Mtsweni

Wolta "Tokkie" Mtsweni has spent the past 12 years working across sport in South Africa, in roles ranging from team manager to strength and conditioning coach at several rugby unions and university institutions. Now in a managerial position overseeing sport [...]

By |2026-08-26T14:20:17+01:00August 26th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“Don’t lower your standards to suit your environment — challenge your environment to reach your standard.” – Keenan Watson

Keenan Watson is the Head of Strength and Conditioning at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) in South Africa. A former national athlete, he has built a diverse high-performance career across multiple sporting codes and has coached athletes who went [...]

By |2026-08-18T12:44:03+01:00August 18th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“It gives me confidence in my current career, and confidence that I’m working towards one after I stop playing.” – Ronan Boyce

Ronan Boyce is a professional footballer in the League of Ireland with St Patrick's Athletic. Now in his seventh year as a professional, having started out with Derry City, Ronan has spent the past two years studying with Setanta College [...]

By |2026-08-11T14:58:02+01:00August 11th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“Setanta does a great job of connecting the dots between theory and real life.” – Zach Reding

Zach Reding is the MiLB Strength & Conditioning Coordinator for the Houston Astros. A former Division 1 baseball player, he has spent the past eight years with the Astros, coaching at every level through to the Major Leagues. He is [...]

By |2026-08-04T14:44:26+01:00August 4th, 2026|Student Spotlight|

“Build the foundation first, because everything else is built on top of that.” – Abdullah Khalid Alkhathran

Abdullah Khalid Alkhathran is the Head Coach and owner of Roots Performance. A former footballer who went on to compete as a top national CrossFit athlete, Abdullah founded Roots Performance in 2019 and now works with amateur, professional and youth [...]

By |2026-07-28T12:39:57+01:00July 28th, 2026|Student Spotlight|