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The lifeblood of the University of New Haven are the faculty and staff members who dedicate their lives to helping our students reach their goals. Periodically, we’ll introduce you to a member of the staff so you can learn more about him or her – beyond their day-to-day work.

Next up is , a strength and conditioning coach who keeps the University’s student-athletes in top shape. His work continues through virtual workouts as all students, amid the coronavirus pandemic, are learning remotely for the remainder of the spring semester.

Renee Chmiel: What are your favorite sports?

David Faugno: Growing up with two Italian immigrant parents, I only had one option: soccer. I was in Italy when the country hosted the 1990 World Cup. The environment was truly inspiring, and I saw firsthand the passion of an entire country come together, and everyone put aside their differences to cheer on their national team. When soccer is not on television, I really enjoy watching football and basketball, especially at the collegiate level. I enjoy playing any competitive sport. I just love competing.

RC: What is your favorite movie?

DF: Rocky IV. Every time I watch the training montage during that movie, I find myself getting goosebumps and I start doing push-ups!

RC: What’s your favorite part about working with student-athletes?

DF: I am very fortunate to be able to work with such incredible individuals at the University of New Haven. The best part is developing special relationships with these student-athletes that continue well after their graduation from the University. It is a very rewarding experience to be able to help student-athletes realize their full potential and achieve their goals, but most importantly, helping them become successful in other areas after competing in sports.

RC: How do you share your love of athletics with your family?

DF: I am very fortunate to have a loving and supportive family that shares my love for a healthy lifestyle and a passion for . My wife, Lauren, is a preschool teacher at a magnet school, and we have two beautiful children.

Our daughter, Isabella, is four years old, and definitely enjoys exercise. You will usually find her working out early in the morning with my wife with her own pink weights and yoga mat or chasing her little brother around. She is also a diehard Chargers fan and enjoys wearing her University of New Haven gear to cheer on the Chargers at home games. We also enjoy watching the games together on the .

Our son, Luca, is ten months old and full of energy. He crawls and climbs all over the house and gets into everything. I’m sure this future Charger will be walking soon!

RC: What was your first job?

DF: My first job was at the age of 15 at a local Italian grocery store called Bongiorno. I worked early mornings in the fish market, cleaning and preparing fish for sale. It was a very cold and wet environment and, needless to say, a very humbling experience for me at a young age.

RC: If you could learn a new skill or hobby, what would it be?

DF: I would definitely like to learn how to speak another language. I speak fluent Italian, and I actually took English as a second language growing up. I would want to learn Mandarin Chinese because it is the most used language in the world, and it’s an opportunity to learn a new culture.

RC: What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?

DF: I was a very simple kid growing up. All I needed was a soccer ball, and I could be entertained for hours.

RC: How are you now working with athletes virtually this semester?

DF: These are very challenging times for our student-athletes, but with the help of our Athletics administration, our sports performance staff members are currently conducting live team virtual workouts. These workouts are an opportunity to connect our student-athletes from all over the country, and, in some cases, the world. These workouts allow our student-athletes to have a sense of normalcy and still feel like a team training together, although they may be thousands of miles apart.

Each 45-minute workout requires no equipment and consists of a body weight circuit and core/mobility workout, and ends with a Q and A session for our student-athletes. I feel we have had a tremendous response from our student-athletes. They seem to really enjoy being in a challenging environment and having the ability to interact with their teammates.

The message I have been promoting to our student-athletes is, at the end of the day, our goals still remain the same. The only thing that really has changed is the circumstances. But as Chargers, we will always find a way.

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