Dillon Frees Joins Cincinnati Athletics as Director of Sports Nutrition

CINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham announced the hiring of Dillon Frees as the department's first-ever Director of Sports Nutrition.  

A rising star in sports nutrition, Frees will oversee all of Cincinnati's nutrition efforts.  

"We are very excited for Dillon to join our team to head up our nutrition department," said Brad Pike, Executive Sr. Associate Athletics Director, Health & Wellness. "His vast work experience and dual credentials in medical dietetics and strength and conditioning will make him a vital part of our health and wellness team."  

Frees joins the Bearcats from Ohio State, where he served as a performance nutrition graduate intern from 2021-22 in their performance nutrition department. He was the primary oversight for the men's soccer program and worked extensively with the football team. 

In addition, he spent time with the baseball team and assisting with the food operations side of performance nutrition during his time as a Buckeye.  

Frees joined Ohio State in 2019 as a performance nutrition volunteer where he aided with the fueling needs of the men's basketball and ice hockey programs. 

"Our department's goal is to have as many positive impacts on our student athletes as possible with the intent on helping each individual student athlete and team reach their full potential," said Mike Rehfeldt, Associate AD, Sports Performance. "With that mission in mind, the continual growth, development, and expansion of student-athlete services here at the University of Cincinnati is at the forefront. 

"With the resources provided by John Cunningham and our administration, we conducted a nationwide search and were able to hire Dillon Frees. He's our first in-house registered dietitian who can provide services for all our student-athletes, pre- and post-workout fueling recommendations, one-on-one counseling and educational experiences on how to cook and shop to help our athletes perform at their best."

Frees also had the pleasure of being a dietetic intern for the Ohio State Crane Sports Medicine Institute in 2021. He performed 1-on-1 nutrition consultations and RMR testing with a variety of recreational and elite-level athletes.  

A native of Loveland, Ohio, Frees is a member of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

He is a registered and licensed dietitian. Additionally, he is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and has three-plus years of experience working as a personal trainer for a variety of populations from high school athletes to older adults.  

Frees is a 2019 graduate of the University of Mount Union, where he earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science with a minor in chemistry. He earned his master's degree in medical dietetics with a focus on sports nutrition from Ohio State in 2022.  

ABOUT CINCINNATI ATHLETICS  
The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics competes at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics with the vision to reach Next Level Success for all 18 varsity teams and more than 500 student-athletes. The Bearcats have a proud athletics history, winning eight national championships and 117 conference titles. The Cincinnati men's basketball team is among the 15 winningest programs all-time, while the football team became the first American Athletic Conference program to compete in the College Football Playoff in 2021. Olympic gold medalist volleyball player Jordan Thompson, NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Major League Baseball legend Sandy Koufax are among the several luminaries who have competed as Bearcats. 
 
UC student-athletes collectively posted a 3.369 overall GPA in the spring of 2021 with 77 percent earning spots on the Honor Roll, while six student-athletes collected CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades. 
 
Under the leadership of Director of Athletics John Cunningham, and supported by more than 150 full-time staff members, UC Athletics' mission is to connect our community, enhance our university and impact the lives of student-athletes as they prepare to change the world on and off the field. 
 
For more information visit gobearcats.com. 
 
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS 
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.