Menlo News September 03, 2022

Hicker named Director of Sports Performance, Boys’ Soccer Coach

Longtime head trainer, soccer coach
Daniel Hicker Director of Sports Performance Varsity Boys' Soccer Coach

ATHERTON, Calif. – Menlo School announces Daniel Hicker as Director of Sports Performance and Wellness, as well as Varsity Boys’ Soccer Head Coach.

Hicker has most recently served as Director of Performance for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. Prior to that, he worked for four years with the San Jose Earthquakes as Head of Athletic Performance where he led the management and alignment for physical development pathways from the Academy to MLS.

“We are thrilled to welcome Daniel and his family to the Menlo School community,” Menlo School Director of Athletics Earl Koberlein said. “We are excited for our student-athletes and coaches who will greatly benefit from Daniel’s extensive expertise as a sports performance coach and soccer coach.

His coaching and management experience is expansive: he was a performance coach for U.S. Soccer, Strength and Conditioning Coach with the San Jose Sharks,Volunteer Assistant Coach and Director of Performance Analysis for Santa Clara University’s women’s soccer team, as well as a host of youth and collegiate programs. Hicker retains his CSCS*D and Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He also holds a USC Premier Diploma.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a range of athlete types and abilities to this point in my career, and I’ve always come to the same conclusion. We have a large void to fill in our youths’ athletic development and methodologies,” Hicker said. “By blending sports performance technologies alongside a sound physical development model, I truly believe we will have a strong holistic profile for our student-athlete and team success here at Menlo. The support I have received by the school and athletic department staff for this mission has been incredible. I am very excited for the process ahead.”

Hicker has implemented innovative performance platforms, and has extensive experience in athlete profiling.

“Daniel will bring his comprehensive knowledge of cutting edge technology and sports science to our strength and conditioning program and will partner with our sports medicine staff to maximize performance and lessen the risk of injury for our student-athletes,” Koberlein added.

He succeeds Jesse Lindenstein who moved out of state after a 12-year Menlo career as Director of Sports Performance. He takes the soccer coaching reins from Marc Kerrest, who guided the Knights for 10 seasons, and moved from the area and is running the new company he founded.

“Soccer has been a part of my life for a very long time,” Hicker said. “As a player, and as a coach, I’ve always identified with athletic development as an important dynamic for performance success. When the opportunity presented itself to have two major pillars, sports performance and soccer, under the same roof, I was extremely intrigued by the challenge to continue the growth and success of the program.”