PROVIDENCE, R.I. – JWU (Providence) Director of Athletics Dana Garfield has announced the hiring of Kyle Cusson as the new Fitness Center Manager and Strength & Conditioning Coach.

Cusson arrives in Providence following five years as the assistant strength & conditioning coach at the University of Connecticut, where he oversaw all aspects of S&C for the softball, volleyball, and women's swimming & diving programs. He developed and implemented custom training programs for all three programs while monitoring athletic key performance metrics using Smartabase, PERCH, VERT, ArmCare, Hawkins Force Plates, Brower timing systems, Tendo, and RepOne.

"I would like to thank Director of Athletics Dana Garfield, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Pete DiVito, Director of Sports Medicine Alan Segee, and the entire JWU coaching staff for this opportunity and for placing their confidence in me," said Cusson, who also served as an adjust professor in UConn's Department of Kinesiology. "It's an honor to join a team so deeply committed to its student-athletes and community. I look forward to getting started with the Wildcats and contributing to their continued success."

In Storrs, Cusson worked closely with the sports medicine department on return-to-play plans, and built and managed the UConn Sports Performance website as well as their social media accounts. Under the guidance of Cusson, the volleyball program tied the program-record for wins in 2024 and the softball team captured the 2025 Big East Tournament Championship.

"Kyle rose to the top of an extremely deep pool of applicants and, throughout the interview process, demonstrated all of the attributes and qualities we were looking for in our ideal candidate," said Garfield. "Having Kyle on board to help support our student-athletes both on and off the field will take all of our programs to another level. He will also help us reimagine the space in our fitness centers and help provide an improved workout experience for the entire student body."

Prior to his arrival at UConn, Cusson was an assistant strength & conditioning coach at Trinity College in West Hartford, Connecticut. He designed and implemented programs for all nine programs he oversaw: men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track & field, men's and women's squash, men's and women's golf, and women's rowing programs. Cusson also assisted with both in-season and off-season training with the Bantams football program and led nutrition education initiatives for all programs.

Cusson received his Bachelor of Science in Applied Exercise Science from Springfield in 2020 and his Master of Science in the same field from Concordia University Chicago in 2023. He cut his teeth training at the collegiate level with an internship at Springfield College during the 2019-20 academic year, assisting with the strength & conditioning efforts of the wrestling, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, and football programs.

He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS) and ArmCare Specialist, and holds certifications in USA Weightlifting Level 1 (USAW1), Functional Movement Screen Level 1 (FMS1), and Precision Nutrition Level 1 (Pn1).