ST. JOSEPH – A new agreement will make Missouri Western the first NCAA Division II athletic department in the country to utilize technology that will allow high-tech analysis of student-athlete performance to be shared between athletics personnel.
 
KONGiQ is the only strength and conditioning software that tracks velocity, force, distance and effort using a robotic tilt-camera. The new technology will help MWSU strength and conditioning staff to assess student-athlete performance in the weight room and share the information with other athletics staff to improve the overall well-being of each student-athlete.
 
"Kong IQ will allow us to keep up with the most current training trends in the strength & conditioning industry, at the highest level," MWSU director of sports performance Greg Carbin said. "This technology will help us better assess and monitor our athletes fatigue levels, and reduce the chances that the athletes will over train. The high-speed cameras at each rack will enable our staff to incorporate velocity-based training in a way that wasn't feasible for us in the past. We are grateful to the Kong IQ staff and our director of athletics, Josh Looney, for making this a reality for our student athletes."
 
Developed by Vivature, KONGiQ records student-athlete activities in nutrition, behavioral health, academic counseling, athletic training and now strength & conditioning. It is the first software in America that integrates the student-athlete lifecycle into one platform.
 
"Partnering with Kong IQ allows our sports performance and athletic training staff to operate more effectively and efficiently while prioritizing the athletic development, health, and safety of our student-athletes," director of athletics Josh Looney said. "In addition to the obvious advantages Kong IQ provides our athletic department, it also opens doors to expanded partnerships and research opportunities with professors and students in MWSU's HPER program."
 
"KONGiQ will allow our strength and conditioning students to learn to make the data driven decisions which have revolutionized their profession," MWSU HPER department chair Dr. Justin Kraft said. "This technology is truly changing the way we work. It will also allow us to do new types of research at Missouri Western. Kinds of research we could never have done before."
 
The new equipment will be installed in the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex.
 
"Needless to say, Vivature is very proud to expand our services at Missouri Western," Vivature executive vice-president and KONGiQ inventor Lance Wilson said." The statement Josh Looney has made by choosing KONGiQ exemplifies his commitment to his student-athletes."