Biography:

Former University of Dayton women’s basketball standout Kendel Ross, CSCS  joined the Flyer strength and conditioning staff in October 2011 and works with the women’s basketball team. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

“Kendel is a very knowledgeable strength and conditioning coach and we are lucky to have her join our staff,” said UD Head Coach Jim Jabir. “She has continued training as an elite-level athlete since graduating from Dayton. If our players look half as good as her, we will be fine.

“Kendel is committed to our program and really takes ownership in everything we do,” Jabir added.

Ross played for UD from 2007-10 and captained the Flyers to their first NCAA D-I Tournament appearance and win, a thrilling 67-66 come-from-behind victory over TCU in the 2010 NCAA First Round. She averaged 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game during her career. Her senior season she earned Atlantic 10 Third Team honors. Her 1,063 career points are 18th on Dayton’s all-time scoring list.

“I am extremely passionate about working in the health field and I’m so happy to be starting my career in that venue with the Dayton Flyers,” said Ross. “I care a lot about this program, what its accomplished and where it’s now headed. My goal is to take the strength base of our players and transition it to dynamic, explosive movement with the focus on making our team better athletes.”

Following her graduation from Dayton in 2010, the 6-foot-1 forward from Sarnia, Ontario continued her basketball career, signing a contract with GDESSA/Barreiro in the La Liga Feminina in Portugal. In her first season (2010-11), she led the entire league with 22.0 points per game, and was fifth in rebounds per game (11.6) and blocks per game (1.0).

Most recently, Ross played for Team Canada in the 2011 University World Games in Shenzen, China. With her team-best 15.0 ppg, she led the squad to sixth place, Canada’s best finish since 2001. She has played for her country’s national team since 2005, playing basketball all over the world, including; France, Tunisia, Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, Mexico, Russia, Slovakia and China twice.

In addition to training with Team Canada for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Ross is pursuing her master’s degree in exercise science from Dayton. She is a graduate assistant for the Dayton Faculty/Staff Wellness Program. She organizes health and wellness classes for University employees, including a strength and conditioning class that she teaches.

Ross, currently resides in Dayton, Ohio. She is engaged to be married to Mike Andersen ’10, a former standout on the UD men’s cross country team, who recently helped open Elite Feet, a running shop that he manages, in Brighton, Mich.