Ben Moortgat was officially hired as the head strength and conditioning coach for Northwest on August 14, 2020.
Moortgat arrives at Northwest after several years in the Division I ranks, including his most recent stint as a professional intern at the University of Oregon. During his time with the Ducks' football program from January 2019 to February 2020, Moortgat implemented training regimens for specialists and oversaw training and rehabilitation progressions for injured student-athletes.
Additionally, Moortgat also implemented individual conditioning programs for players and traveled with the football program to assist in gameday operations, including the Ducks' most recent trip to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Prior to his time at Oregon, Moortgat also spent the 2018 football season at the University of Georgia, where assisted in all aspects of the Bulldogs' strength and conditioning efforts.
From 2015-18, Moortgat served as a graduate assistant at the University of Central Arkansas, where he developed strength and conditioning programs for the Bears' football and Olympic sports programs. He also managed and oversaw conditioning for basketball, soccer and cross country, while also assisting with the sports nutrition programs and teaching exercise science courses.
"Seeing the culture that was in place at those places has been my biggest takeaway," Moortgat said. "It doesn't matter how good you are in the weight room if you're not meeting a certain culture or expectations, so everyone needs to know that they will be held to a high standard. With that said, I think that this will be an awesome challenge and I am impressed with the emphasis that Northwest puts on its athletic programs. I am excited to start and meet our student-athletes."
Moortgat holds numerous professional certifications from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). He earned his master's in exercise science at Central Arkansas and a Bachelor of Science in physical education from Haute Ecole Francisco Ferrer in Brussels.
A native of Belgium, Moortgat and his wife Julie were married July 2018 and recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary.
