CSB athletics get stronger with Rebecca Main

The College of St. Benedict Athletic Department hired Rebecca Main as the new strength and condition coach for Bennie athletes on Sept. 26.

Main brings a variety of experiences to CSB+SJU. After receiving a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in education, she received a health licensure from Bemidji State University. Prior to being hired at CSB, Main spent time on the staff with the University of Minnesota’s strength department for both men’s and women’s hockey teams. Most recently, she was with Team USA and the National Hockey League. In 2023, she was a personal trainer at LA Fitness in Richfield, Minn. and was the strength and conditioning specialist in Lakeville, Minn. Along with her occupations, she was a member of the Minnesota Vixens, a women’s professional tackle football league team in the Twin Cities area.

Main is happy to call the St. Ben’s home. She spoke about the hiring process and was very joyful when working with CSB Athletic Director Kelly Anderson-Dierks. “It went really smoothly. It was nice to have a few coaches represented on the screens, asking questions that are pretty applicable. Things they are asking correlate to directly how the job will work. . .I was even traveling, and it worked super well that I was able to do the initial interview and still email back and forth with Kelly Anderson-Dierks and answer what I needed pretty much right away,” she said. She talked about her love for working directly with student-athletes and how she has the passion for her job based on being motivated by athlete’s goals. “It is great to work with athletes that are very driven. When we talk about specifically Division I versus Division III, DIII student-athletes are very driven by their academics, not only playing their sport but also in their studies as well,” Main said. “Working with people who have that much passion for what they do in college is great because you see just the desire to do well.”

Main spoke about her own transition between DI Minnesota and DIII St. Ben’s. She talked about how she gets to have more involvement in multiple sports at CSB as opposed to focusing on mainly only women’s and men’s hockey at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

She said colleges athletes are similar at both places, despite the division difference. “You can be amazing no matter where you go. . . It’s not always ability, it’s just the choice they made for multiple reasons to be at a DIII institution,” Main said. Dierks praised the efficiency of the hiring process. The strength and condition position is tied to an NCAA grant, which lists specific criteria for applicants to be considered for hiring. Dierks said the hiring committee was impressed with Main’s application. ​“Main’s knowledge and depth of experience set her apart and led our excitement for joining CSB athletics,” Dierks said. Dierks has been impressed with how she has interacted with student athletes in such a short period of time. “Coach Main is just starting her second week, so she really has been focused on getting our teams scheduled and understanding the foundation (what they have done in the past), including what the coaches’ goals are for each program, and most importantly, how she can help her student-athletes achieve their goals,” she said. The Athletic Department is looking forward to what Main will do to help the student athletes reach their goals and bring teams to the ultimate goals, which are the MIAC tournament and NCAA DIII Championships.

Main is excited to make a difference in the Bennie athletes’ lives.

“That’s what I look forward to most—having athletes become the best version of themselves that they possibly can,” Main said.