Brian Kownacki and Stephanie Taibe Join Fordham Strength and Conditioning Staff

Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham University assistant athletic director for athletic performance Tim Rehm announced the addition of Brian Kownacki and Stephanie Taibe to the program's staff. Kownacki will serve as an assistant strength and conditioning coach while Taibe will serve as a volunteer assistant strength and conditioning coach.
 
Kownacki is no stranger to Fordham as he was a four-year starter with the Rams' baseball team from 2009-2012, serving as a team captain as a senior. He is well known for his "Fordham Flip" play in a win over Iona, scoring from first on a single after flipping over the Iona catcher. The video earned Kownacki the number one play on ESPN's Top Ten Plays of the Day and an invitation to the 2012 ESPYs and it has been viewed over two millions times on YouTube.
 
Kownacki has been serving as strength and conditioning coach at Jim Ronai's Competitive Edge Sports Performance in Milford, Conn., where he trains athletes and clients across different sports disciplines and age ranges as well as organizing and applying strength and conditioning programs for the Bridgeport Bluefish, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Notre Dame (Bridgeport) and St. Joseph's High Schools
 
Following graduation, Kownacki served as a strength and conditioning intern at the University of Rhode Island in the summer of 2012 and at Quinnipiac University in the fall of 2015. At Rhode Island, he worked with the football, baseball, soccer, women's basketball, volleyball and hockey teams, while at Quinnipiac he supervised the daily workouts for the field hockey, softball, tennis, hockey, basketball, soccer and cross country teams.
 
From October 2012 until June 2013, Kownacki was the head strength and conditioning coach at Fairfield Warde High School in Fairfield, Conn. He designed and implemented the strength and conditioning program and instructed athletes on proper training techniques.
 
Kownacki graduated from Fordham's Gabelli School of Business in 2012 with a degree in business administration and a concentration in marketing and management. He was twice named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and received the Scholastic Athlete Award. Kownacki is working on a master's degree in exercise science at Southern Connecticut State University.
 
Taibe, a Hunter College graduate, brings a wealth of volleyball coaching experience to Rose Hill. She currently serves as the head girls coach at the Mary Louis Academy in Queens, the head boys coach at St. John's Prep in Queens and a women's assistant coach at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. Taibe also serves as an assistant coach with the girls Metro U13 team of the New York City Juniors Volleyball Club.
 
Taibe also currently serves as a physical therapy and strength and conditioning intern at Millennium Physical Therapy on Long Island.
 
A 2015 graduate of Hunter College with a degree in studio arts with a concentration in Spanish/English translation and interpretation, Taibe was a letter winner with Hawks volleyball and basketball programs, leading the volleyball team to the CUNY championship game in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and the basketball team to the CUNY semifinals in 2013-2014. She also played with the USA Athletic International Semi Professional Volleyball team in 2014.
 
Taibe is working on a master's degree in sports science at Hofstra University.