Written by Tim Gallagher, BVU Assistant Director of Communications

Storm Lake, Iowa (Sept. 24, 2021) – What do a two-time Olympic silver medalist, a Big Ten champion, and a national championship coach have in common?
 
All are digging in full-time to build Buena Vista University Athletics. 

• First, the Big Ten champion: Storm Lake native Shane Maier, who won the 2007 Big Ten title in shot put, has been named Director of Athletic Performance at BVU, a role that will allow Maier to work with every individual in BVU’s growing corps of student-athletes.
• Next, the two-time silver medalist: Kerron Stewart, who currently serves as Assistant Track and Field and Cross Country Coach at BVU, is adding to her title, becoming Assistant Director of Athletic Performance as well. Stewart, who hails from Jamaica, earned a silver medal and a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics in the 100- and 200-meter sprints. She earned a second silver medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4X100-meter relay team in the 2012 Olympic Games.
• Third, the national championship coach: Trevor Johnson, Men’s Basketball Coach at BVU. Johnson, who began guiding the Beavers two seasons ago, will add Assistant Director of Athletic Performance to his title. He was an Assistant Coach who helped direct Nebraska-Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team to an NCAA Division III title in 2018.
   

“We are entering an exciting era for BVU Athletics,” says Scott Brown, Director of Athletics. “The commitment to BVU and to our student-athletes by Shane, Kerron, and Trevor further proves that leaders in their fields choose to be at BVU. In my position, it is exciting to know that current and future Beaver student-athletes will have the unique opportunity to train under the leadership of a Big Ten Champion, an Olympic medalist, and a national champion coach.”

“We will continue to stress the importance of exercise and weight-training,” says Maier, an Assistant Track & Field Coach who has directed throwers at BVU for six seasons. “At the same time, we’re going to delve into nutritional habits and needs for those who participate on our Beaver teams. We’ll work with all of our coaches as we make strides in sports performance and injury prevention.”

While Maier focused on shot put and discus at the University of Iowa, he was an accomplished weightlifter, having earned a bronze medal in the clean-and-jerk weightlifting competition for Team USA at the 2012 Pan-Am Championships. A four-sport athlete as a youth growing up in Storm Lake, he remains well versed on what it takes to succeed in all kinds of athletic endeavors.

“I’ve worked with athletes in just about every sport, every age demographic, and a multitude of skill levels,” he says. “I’m very excited to work in great detail on the athletic performance development of BVU student-athletes. We’re on track to build BVU into an American Rivers Conference contender in all sports.”

Stewart is pleased to play an important role in the process of developing BVU student-athletes.

“We tend to overlook process, at times, and focus solely on results,” says Stewart, a four-time NCAA Division I champion (three individual titles, one team championship at Auburn University). “To me, the process, the work and the learning it takes to get the best results is a more fulfilling journey than the results themselves. I am so grateful for the support of BVU and the people here who trust me with this responsibility and opportunity in growing and developing with our student-athletes.”

Trevor Johnson, meantime, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach who will assist with all sports while focusing primarily on men’s and women’s basketball teams. As BVU Men’s Basketball Coach, Johnson has fashioned a glossy 27-11 overall record in two seasons. His 18 victories represented the most by any first-year men’s basketball coach at BVU. In 2020, he was named to the Top 30-Under-30 coaches list by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. His team followed that by reaching the American Rivers Conference Tournament title contest in 2021.

“Our success on the court starts with an understanding of the game, and the comprehension of what a student-athlete needs in getting their body ready for the rigors of competition,” Johnson says. “My background as a Strength and Conditioning Coach has been invaluable in preparing our teams for success. I’m eager to lend my talents and knowhow to other student-athletes on campus as we work to raise the level of success for everyone affiliated with BVU Athletics.”

Brown, who was named BVU Director of Athletics in July, notes that all three are part of a roster of nearly 50 Beavers coaches and staff members who work daily in serving more than 400 student-athletes representing the University in 21 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports.