Natalie Portwood was promoted to Director of Strength and Conditioning at Manhattan University in July 2025, after joining the department as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Director in March months earlier.

In her current role, she oversees the strength and conditioning programs for all 19 Division I athletic teams. She works directly with men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, volleyball, women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s golf.

Prior to her arrival at Manhattan, Portwood served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Dakota. During her time there, she was the first assistant for football and the head strength coach for women’s basketball. She also served as the internship coordinator and the Nutrition Coordinator.

From January 2021 to July 2022, Portwood was a graduate assistant at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma. While there, she earned her master’s degree in sports administration and worked with a variety of teams across the athletic department.
Portwood completed a full-time internship at the University of North Texas in the fall of 2020, gaining valuable hands-on experience at the Division I level.

She began her coaching career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2020. During her time at Nevada, she also completed her first strength and conditioning internship with the Wolf Pack.

Portwood graduated from the University of Nevada with a degree in kinesiology and is on track to receive her master's degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State. She has CSCS certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and SCCC certification from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, in addition to being CPR and AED certified.