Coach Andrea (Cota) Powell is a professor at the University of South Dakota in the Division of Kinesiology & Sport Management. She holds the Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Certificate of Applied Functional Science distinctions. In December of 2014, Andrea completed her Master’s in Kinesiology & Sport Management with a specialization in Sport Management. Previously, she was a Sports Performance Coach and Marketing Specialist at OI Performance in Sioux Falls, SD. During her graduate school, Andrea was the Human Performance Specialist for the Track & Field team, which allowed her to improve her coaching and movement analysis skills. 

Prior to her position at USD as Human Performance Specialist, she assisted with coaching athletes preparing for the NFL Combine in San Diego, CA. Her focus while in San Diego was functional movement injury prevention and rehabilitative techniques, linear speed mechanics, and strength training. She also had an eye opening experience while interning at the Fischer Institute in Phoenix, AZ. While there, she was exposed to the Applied Functional Science principles of movement and her passion for sports performance and coaching was further solidified. Along with Andrea’s sports performance background, she has experience working under the Sports Medicine Director for USA Beach Volleyball, running the rehabilitation program at his chiropractic practice. This experience enhanced her knowledge of AFS principles, how the body functions together, and has laid the foundation of her sports performance training tactics.

Coach Cota was a heptathlete and long jumper for the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits, where she graduated with a B.S. in Exercise Science and a minor in Nutrition.

Contact Andrea at coachcota@gmail.com.