Elite Performance Specialists

Matt Maher has played sports almost since he could walk. Matt grew up playing sports. He played soccer for 10 years as well as basketball and baseball. In high school, he decided on a change of pace and started playing football as well as track and field. Pole Vauliting was is event of choice in high school. Matt was a top ranked pole vaulter during all four years of high school taking numerous medals as well as qualifying for state competition. Since his introduction to cycling in 2004 Matt has dedicated himself to the sport. In his first season on the bike Matt quickly upgraded from a catagory 5 cyclist to catagory 4 in only two months of racing and upgraded to category 3 before the end of his first season of racing. Matt was ranked #2 in the nation during his first season of racing and has consistently placed at the top of the state and national rankings since. Matt is currently racing as a category 2 cyclist for the Colavita/Pairisi racing team and competes locally, regionally, and nationally.

"Sports to me have been a life long passion. I began playing sports when I was 5 years old. I have competed in soccer, baseball, basketball, diving, track and field, football, and cycling. In addition to these competive sports I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, swimming and other outdoor activities. Cycling has become my passion. I have never participated in a sport that is as difficult, or as rewarding, as cycling. In addition to my active lifestyle and coaching, I am a full time teacher at a local elementary school."

Gina Poertner, physiologist and owner of Life Balance Sports does it all when it comes to the sports world. As a Fitte System Practioner and Instructor for John Howard Performance Sports, Gina is our positioning specialist for the perfect bike fit. Gina is a Certified Health Education Specialist focusing on exercise physiology and sports nutrition. She has 20 years experience coaching the various disciplines of running, cycling and triathlon. An endurance road cyclist, Gina is also a triathlete, runner and life-long competitor who understands the unique needs of athletes. Gina has served on the sports medicine staffs of AAU Junior Olympics, National Gymnastics Championships, National Indoor Track & Field Championships, and individual world class, Olympic and professional athletes. She is also an Official for USA Track & Field and USA Cycling and continues to officiate local, national and international events

Casey Dudek played college basketball at Graceland University after an illustrious career as a student-athlete at Lamoni High School. One of the most decorated athletes in school history, Dudek was a four-time All-Conference, three-time All-District and two-time First Team All-State performer for LHS. As a junior, he was the leading scorer in the state of Iowa (all classes) with a scoring average of over 32 points per game. Dudek was also honored as a Street & Smith’s Honorable Mention All-American and was a McDonald’s All-American Game Nominee. Other honors include being selected as a member of the Iowa Junior Select Team and to play in the Iowa Dr. Pepper All-Star Game. Casey finished his career as Lamoni’s all-time leading scorer with 2,176 points which at the time was the 6th most points in Iowa’s history. He is still ranked in the top 20 on the Iowa High School’s all-time scoring list. In the midst of his success on the basketball court, Casey also found time to twice receive All-State honors as a shortstop for the Lamoni baseball team.


While at Graceland, Casey’s basketball success continued, making the HAAC All-Conference team three times, two of which were first team honors, and was also named an NAIA All-American. Dudek ended his collegiate career scoring 1,955 points, which ranks him 3rd on Graceland’s all time scoring list. He still holds numerous school records including single game assists (15), single season assists (248) and career assists (730). Casey played in 128 consecutive games, which is also a Graceland record. Other school records include most career three pointers made (301) and career free throw percentage of 85.5%. His senior year, Dudek had a consecutive streak of 33 made free throws, and lead the nation at with a mark of 89.2%. Casey also served as a Team Co-Captain and was voted Team Most Valuable Player as a senior. Along with being an outstanding player, Dudek was consistently on the Dean’s List and Presidents List at GU for his outstanding work in the classroom. Following his playing days, he spent two seasons as the men’s varsity assistant coach for the Yellowjacket program.

After Graceland, Casey’s basketball career continued. He toured with an All-Star Team called World Basketball Opportunities. WBO was a touring team, which played NCAA Division I teams during their preseason games. This opportunity helped him land a professional basketball contract overseas in France. Casey spent one season playing for Association Basket Courcelles Dourges in Dourges, France. As the starting point guard, Dudek averaged 12 points and 6 assists per game while shooting an amazing 94% from the free throw line.