(62) MONITORING NEUROMUSCULAR PERFORMANCE: SEASONAL TRENDS AND WORKLOAD INFLUENCES ON COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP METRICS IN COLLEGIATE WOMEN’S SOCCER

Purpose: To examine season-long changes in countermovement jump (CMJ) performance and the influence of weekly external workload on collegiate women’s soccer athletes. Methods: Twenty collegiate women’s soccer athletes wore Polar Team Pro GPS monitors (Polar Electro, Bethpage, NY) throughout a competitive season to quantify total distance (TD), high-speed distance (HSD), and explosive efforts (EXP). Countermovement jumps (CMJ) were performed with arms akimbo using dual force platforms (Hawkin Dynamics, Westbrook, ME) on the same day each week, immediately prior to training. Athletes performed two maximal-effort jumps, and the average was used for analysis. Neuromuscular performance variables included modified reactive strength index (mRSI), jump height (JH), time to takeoff (TTT), and CMJ depth. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess season-long changes in neuromuscular performance and the influence of weekly workload metrics on CMJ outcomes, with external load metrics as fixed effects and athlete as a random intercept (α = 0.05). Results: A significant effect of week was observed for mRSI (F(13, 226.1) = 4.97, p < 0.001), JH (F(13, 226.16) = 15.71, p < 0.001), and CMJdepth (F(13, 226.34) = 5.71, p < 0.001) throughout the season. Post-hoc comparisons revealed increases in mRSI from baseline at Weeks 5, 10, 12, and 13 (p < 0.05), though none of the workload variables had a significant effect on mRSI. JH increased following week 1 and remained elevated throughout the season (p < 0.001), with a positive relationship between HSD and JH (p = 0.003). CMJ depth became significantly more negative from week 3 onward (p < 0.01), indicating progressively deeper countermovements. TD was positively associated with CMJ depth (p = 0.011), while HSD was negatively associated (p = 0.001). No significant changes to TTT were observed throughout the season (F(13, 225.84) = 1.40, p = 0.159). Conclusions: Neuromuscular performance changed throughout the season, with increases in mRSI and JH and greater countermovement depth, while TTT remained unchanged. Despite seasonal improvements in mRSI, the weekly workload metrics examined did not significantly influence this variable. In contrast, greater weekly HSD was associated with higher JH, suggesting that regular exposure to high-speed running may enhance neuromuscular performance. TD was positively associated with CMJ depth, while HSD was negatively associated, indicating that higher training volumes may contribute to fatigue accumulation, whereas greater exposure to high-speed running may promote eccentric loading strategies. Practical Applications: Regular monitoring of CMJ performance and external workload metrics can provide valuable insight into neuromuscular adaptations and fatigue accumulation throughout a collegiate soccer season. Since greater HSD was associated with improved JH, coaches should ensure athletes receive consistent high-speed running exposure to support explosive power and performance. Conversely, greater TD was linked to shallower CMJs, suggesting that high training volumes may contribute to neuromuscular fatigue. These findings highlight the importance of balancing high-speed running and total workload to optimize neuromuscular performance, manage fatigue, and enhance athlete readiness throughout the season. Acknowledgements: This project was partially funded by the Lindenwood University President’s Research, Innovation, and Development toward Excellence (PRIDE) Fund.