CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel Department of Athletics announced Monday that Joe Varga has been named the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Bulldogs.
 
"We are very excited to have Joe in this leadership role," said director of athletics Mike Capaccio. "He has learned from some of the best and was a unanimous choice by everyone on the search committee."
 
Varga takes over the department after spending the previous two years as the associate director.
 
"I came back to Charleston and The Citadel two years ago because I have always viewed it as my home," said Varga. "I want to thank athletic director Mike Capaccio and the search committee for this great opportunity. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to step into this role and lead our cadet-athletes into the future of their athletic development, as well as guiding them to be strong leaders. I am excited and eager to be part of the journey that myself, our coaches and athletes will be going through in pursuit of excellence on and off the field".
 
In his role as associate director, Varga oversaw the strength and conditioning programming for men's basketball, women's soccer and wrestling, while assisting with football.
 
He rejoined the Bulldogs after spending one year as the director of performance at DIA Sports Performance in Longwood, Fla. He was recruited to DIA by owner/founder Blair Wagner. The two worked together as graduate assistants at The Citadel in the late 2000's. Varga was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the facility, while also serving as the strength and conditioning coach for Rollins College women's basketball.
 
Prior to his time at DIA, Varga spent two years as the assistant athletic director for athletic performance at Wagner College. He was responsible for overseeing and maintaining the department while serving as the strength coach for football and men's basketball.
 
Varga served as the director of strength and conditioning for Olympic sports at Marshall from 2011-17. In his role, he oversaw the daily operations for the Olympic sports weight room.
 
Varga graduated from Central Connecticut State in 2006 with a degree in exercise science. He would spend one year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Rhode Island and Holy Cross before enrolling in grad school at The Citadel. He earned his master's in health, exercise and sports science in 2011.
 
He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is CPR and AED certified by the American Red Cross.