LA JOLLA, Calif. - Myles Cooper, a former intern in the athletic performance department at UCLA, has been named the assistant strength and conditioning coach at UC San Diego, Director of Athletics Earl W. Edwards announced Wednesday.

Cooper comes to La Jolla after spending six months at UCLA, where he worked with the Bruin men's and women's basketball, football and women's volleyball programs.

Prior to his stint in Westwood, Cooper served as a strength and conditioning intern at Marquette University under current UCSD Director of Strength and Conditioning Rudy Thomas. Cooper worked with several teams at Marquette, including men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's tennis, and women's basketball.

"I know Myles from our time together at Marquette and I was very excited for him when he went to work at UCLA," Thomas said. "I was thrilled to be able to hire him here because I know he learned a lot from his time with the Bruin program. He brings a wealth of experience that will undoubtedly benefit our student-athletes going forward."

Cooper has also worked as an intern in the strength and conditioning department at the University of Utah and served as a conditioning coach at Park City High School in Park City, Utah. From January 2008 to August 2009, he worked as a facility manager at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH) in Kearns, Utah and has also spent time with the ABA's Utah Snow Bears.  

Cooper earned a bachelor's degree in Athletic Training from Weber State University in 2002 and went on to obtain his Masters in Exercise Physiology with an emphasis in Strength and Conditioning from Baylor University in 2007. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).