Coach Jonathan Dahuya is the new Director of Strength and Conditioning at Norfolk State University. Dahuya was raised in the Virginia Beach area. (Photo by Ian Williams)

by Ian Williams

Coach Jonathan Dahuya has begun the 2020 spring semester as the new Director of Strength and Conditioning at Norfolk State University. Dahuya was raised in the Virginia Beach area and has always had an interest in athletics.

“I was never the most gifted athlete, so I had to work harder to be more athletic,” said Dahuya. “I’ve always enjoyed athletics growing up, didn’t play a sport in college, but I knew I still wanted to be around athletics.”

His passion for sports came from his urge to excel among his peers. Dahuya also mentions that his desire for helping others made him choose the coaching path.

“There is a process to getting better,” he said. “I think starting with that, and understanding that anyone can get better, kind of sparked my interest in helping other people be better.”

Coach Dahuya is not new to the Strength and Conditioning Program. He attended college in Norfolk at Old Dominion University (ODU). He began coaching in 2012 at ODU in Sports Performance. Then he made his way across town to Norfolk State and started coaching in the Strength and Conditioning Internship Program while finishing his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science in 2014.

Right after graduating, he moved to Washington, D.C. and interned in sports performance further sharpening his education. Dahuya made his way back to Norfolk State as a Volunteer Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach from August 2014 to May 2015. Before coaching at Norfolk State, he coached at North Carolina A&T for five years.

Dahuya has a positive future in mind for college sports. The goals he sets for his players don’t just involve being able to pick up weights and run like other strength and conditioning programs.

“There is a limit to it all, of course, the bigger, stronger, faster, athlete nine times out of ten will probably win the battle, but you have to develop your skills,” Dahuya said. “Once we have hit a limit of strength or a certain level of strength, then I want to make sure they’re getting better at their position.”

Dahuya can always be found in the gym going over workouts and technique with athletes. It can be seen through his work that he is one that strives for perfection.

Coach Jonathan Dahuya is the new Director of Strength and Conditioning at Norfolk State University. Dahuya was raised in the Virginia Beach area. (Photo by Ian Williams)

Coach Dahuya is determined to find achievement in not only Spartan athletics, but in individual student-athlete accomplishments as well.

“I really enjoy making a bigger impact on student-athletes’ lives,” said Dahuya. He wants the success of his players to go past their sport, beyond their four years in college, and into their lives.  He wants the people he touches to gain “a master of their craft and a master of themselves” so they can reach their full potential in adulthood.

One thing Coach Dahuya emphasized on bringing to Norfolk State was grit.

“Building more grit in athletics is definitely one of the things I want to do and, to me, grit is going to be being able to be more disciplined, being able to push through things when things get tough, being able to help and support your brothers and sisters on your team,” he said.

He acknowledges that this may be a difficult task due to the amount of hard work that already exists here, but he is up for the challenge.

“Success to me is a process. I don’t think you land at success,” he said. “If we win the MEAC championship, does that mean there is no more success left? For me, success is a pathway.”

Coach Dahuya plans on doing big things in the athletic program and inside of athlete’s lives. The future of Spartan sports welcomes Jonathan Dahuya.