Ethan Bakken and Bismarck State College Athletic Director Myron Schulz were together for the last winning season the University of Mary football program enjoyed in 2013 as it transitioned from NAIA to NCAA. They’re together again as Bismarck State begins a slow transition to what may eventually be a full four-year athletic program.
Bakken, a former Marauder football player, has been is employed by Sanford Power and assigned to BSC as the school’s first full-time strength and conditioning coach. The National Strength and Conditioning Association-certified trainer served the last four years as the strength coach at Valley City State University in the NAIA’s North Star Athletic Association.
Bakken says he is excited about the prospect of working with a growing program and college and BSC is glad to have him on board.
“The potential for growth at BSC and what we’re trying to accomplish there is huge,” Bakken said. “I’ve had that experience of starting up a program at Valley City. Having that opportunity at BSC made it attractive.”
Schulz, who last season as U-Mary football was in 2014, was hired a BSC athletic director in 2021. The school offers four men’s sports (baseball, basketball, cross-country and track and field), five women’s sports (basketball, cross-country, softball, track and field and volleyball) and two co-ed sports (clay target and Esports). Cross-country and track and field are new this season.
Schulz is glad to have Bakken onboard as the school’s first full-time strength and conditioning coach.
“As Bismarck State College’s athletic department continues to grow, we are committed to providing the best training and conditioning to our student athletes,” Schulz said. “Ethan will be a big part of their development and we’re glad to have him at BSC.”
Bakken is employed by Sanford Power but will work almost exclusively with BSC athletes. The fact that they are all freshmen and sophomores present challenges that Bakken is eager to tackle.
“It’s just a new challenge for me,” Bakken said. “Going from a four-year school to a two-year school you use that senior leadership, but I think that could happen with that sophomore class.
“I love having new challenges and figuring out how to operate. The potential for growth is there and we have the people in the right position to get to a four-year school. I really want to be a part of that culture change."
Bakken got his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from U-Mary and his masters in sports performance and leadership from Northern State University in 2018. He started his career as a personal trainer at Missouri Valley YMCA in Bismarck in 2015. The next year, he joined the University of Minnesota as strength and conditioning intern and later worked as a graduate assistant at Northern State University until 2018. After three months as a strength and conditioning intern at North Dakota State University, Bakken joined the staff at Valley City State at head strength and conditioning coach and adjunct professor where he developed the school’s training program.
Despite being employed by Sanford Power, Bakken will be on the BSC campus full time.
“I’ll be at BSC. It’s not like the student-athletes are going to see a new coach every week,” Bakken said. “I’ll be fully integrated at BSC.”
