Matt Eck, the director of the Wolf Pack's strength and condition program, is set to receive the highest honor by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa) tonight at the organization's annual conference at the Fort Worth (Texas) Omni Hotel.

Eck, who has been at Nevada since 2001 and directed the department since 2008, will be named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the CSCCa. He will be presented his MSCC "blue jacket" by Rod Cole, the former head strength coach at Kansas State, where Eck played college football. Eck credits Cole for the introduction to the profession. Eck is one of 31 who are being honored tonight, bringing the total of MSCC honorees to 187 in the organization's history.

"I'm extremely humbled to be named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach and honored to join such an elite group of coaches who have paved the way in our profession," Eck said. "I'm grateful to the thousands of student-athletes with whom I've had the privilege to work, tremendous staff members throughout the years and all colleagues and mentors who've helped me along the way. I especially want to thank my wife, Jennifer, and my two sons, Carter and Mason, for all their support throughout this journey."

Earning the MSCC means meeting numerous criteria, including CSCCa certification programs longevity - a minimum of 12 years of experience as a full-time strength and conditioning professional at the collegiate or professional levels.

"This is an incredible honor for Matt," said Dr. Chuck Stiggins, the CSCCa's executive director. "Being named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach signifies a commitment to the student-athlete, the University of Nevada athletics program and the strength and conditioning profession. We are honored to have Coach Eck as a member of our association and to have him join the ranks of the Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches. He is truly a model of an outstanding strength and conditioning professional."