Aaron Droege is the associate athletic director for sports performance at Towson University, where he provides strategic leadership for the department's sports performance program and oversees a staff of seven full-time professionals responsible for the development of more than 500 NCAA Division I student-athletes across Towson's 19 varsity sports. Guided by a student-athlete-centered philosophy, Droege has helped shape Towson's integrated high-performance model by emphasizing meaningful relationships, interdisciplinary collaboration, evidence-based practice, and the long-term development of student-athletes, coaches, and staff.
Since joining Towson in July 2017 as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, Droege has held the roles of acting assistant athletic director for sports performance (2019), assistant athletic director for sports performance (2019), and associate athletic director for sports performance (2025). In his current role, he provides leadership for departmental operations, including staff development, strategic planning, hiring, capital projects and the continued evolution of Towson's high-performance model.
Under Droege's leadership, Towson has expanded its comprehensive sports performance ecosystem by integrating force plate analysis, GPS athlete monitoring, velocity-based training, athlete management systems and objective neuromuscular testing into daily decision-making. Working collaboratively with sports medicine, nutrition, sport psychology and coaching staffs, he has helped develop a coordinated approach to performance enhancement, return-to-play planning, and athlete availability. He played a key role in developing the department's return-to-training protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to advance Towson's long-term vision for high performance.
Working primarily with the men's lacrosse and women's soccer programs, Droege has contributed to one of the most successful periods in Towson Athletics history. Since 2022, the men's lacrosse program has completed three consecutive undefeated CAA regular seasons, captured back-to-back CAA Tournament championships and earned consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. Earlier in his tenure, the Tigers also achieved the first No. 1 national ranking in program history in 2019. In addition, Droege has helped develop more than a dozen All-Americans and more than a dozen student-athletes who have advanced to the professional ranks throughout his collegiate career. In 2023, he helped guide the women's soccer program to its first CAA conference championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history while contributing to the development of Towson Athletics' first two women's soccer All-Americans.
Beyond competitive success, Droege has helped shape the long-term growth of Towson's sports performance department. He has overseen major weight room renovations and expansion projects, helped refine the department's unique high-performance model, expanded the integration of sports science into daily practice and fostered a culture centered on collaboration, continuous improvement and exceptional service to student-athletes.
Prior to Towson, Droege served as a sports performance fellow at the University of Denver from September 2016 through June 2017 after completing an internship with the Pioneers from June through August 2016. Working primarily with the men's hockey and men's lacrosse programs, he was a member of the performance staff for Denver's 2017 NCAA National Championship men's hockey team and the 2017 NCAA Final Four men's lacrosse team while assisting in the development of multiple All-Americans and the 2017 Hobey Baker Award recipient.
Concurrent with his fellowship at Denver, Droege served as a rehabilitation specialist at the Studholme Chiropractic Center of Excellence, where he worked alongside chiropractor Nicholas Studholme. There, he developed his expertise in movement restoration, motor control, Functional Neuro-Orthopedic Rehabilitation and return-to-play strategies—experiences that continue to influence his collaborative approach to athlete care and performance.
Before arriving in Denver, Droege served as assistant strength and conditioning coach at St. Cloud State University from August 2015 through August 2016. He contributed to a nationally ranked NCAA Division II baseball program that finished 43-10, earned the No. 1 seed and host designation for the NCAA Central Regional, finished No. 19 in the final ABCA NCAA Division II Coaches Poll, and produced three NCAA Division II All-Americans. Droege began his collegiate career as an Olympic Sports Strength and Conditioning Intern at the University of Minnesota from August 2014 through August 2015, working with the nationally successful men's and women's hockey programs, including the 2015 NCAA National Champion women's team, WCHA Regular Season Champions and a men's program that captured both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships.
In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Droege has served as an adjunct professor in Towson University's Department of Kinesiology, presented at the 2025 NSCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference hosted by Towson University and co-authored research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. He received the Towson University Impact Award for Exceptional Contribution in 2021.
A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Droege earned a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology, exercise and health science from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Sports Coaching from the University of Denver. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
