December 17th
Directors of athletics -- Citing personal reasons, Ben Jay announced his resignation as Hawaii’s athletics director effective June 30, 2015. Jay was appointed to his position in December 2012. Before joining Hawaii, he was executive associate athletics director for finance and operations at Ohio State … Ron Zwierlein returned to St. Bonaventure as athletic director by assuming the job on an interim basis, beginning Dec. 29. Zwierlein replaces Steve Watson, who has accepted the athletic director position at Loyola-Chicago after eight years at St. Bonaventure. After being a longtime administrator in athletics and student affairs at Bowling Green, Zwierlein first came to St. Bonaventure in January 2004. He helped author and implement a five-year strategic plan and successfully completed the athletic department’s NCAA Division I certification in 2005 … Florida A&M named Nelson Townsend as the interim athletic director. Townsend has almost 40 years of experience in athletics and administration, including serving two stints as the school’s athletics director from 1986-87 and 2005-07. He was responsible for elevating the athletic program at Buffalo from Division III to Division I. Townsend also served twice as AD at Maryland-Eastern Shore from 1976-79 and 2003-05.
Deputy athletics directors -- Kyle Brennan, a member of Utah's administrative staff since 2008, has been appointed the school's first deputy athletics director. Brennan has served as the senior associate A.D. for administration since 2012. He is the supervising administrator for six departments and the administrative liaison/supervisor for several sports. He also manages new facility projects and oversees the athletic department's partnership with Under Armour. In addition to Brennan's current duties, he will represent Utah at various Pac-12 and NCAA meetings.
Associate athletics directors -- Washington University in St. Louis announced the expansion of the athletic department’s senior leadership team with the hiring of Associate Director of Athletics for Varsity Programs and Senior Woman Administrator Sara Burton. Burton will lead departmental efforts to host and promote varsity regular- and postseason home contests, along with coordinating the student-athlete wellness efforts at the school. She will also serve as the direct supervisor for select members of the coaching and support staff. Burton arrives after spending the past 22 years at Wisconsin-La Crosse … Drexel announced the promotion of longtime athletics staff member Laura White. White, the Dragons' Senior Women's Administrator, has been promoted to senior associate athletics director. Laura White has served Drexel for 30 years and is the current Title IX coordinator. Under her direction, the department has received national attention for gender equity and diversity, ranking No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report for Pennsylvania universities and in the top five in the NCAA. White also oversees sports medicine, student-athlete housing, strength and conditioning, men's golf, men's and women's tennis, and compliance.
Directors of athletics fundraising- Lycoming graduate Glenn Smith II (2007) has returned to the college as the director of athletics fundraising. Smith, who began his position Dec. 8, brings five years of fundraising experience and will be in charge of overseeing the growth of the Warrior Club, including the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of alumni, parents and friends of the college. He will also work to identify fundraising needs within the athletic department while developing strategies to raise support to meet such priorities.
Directors of recreation- Drexel announced the promotion of longtime athletics staff member Bryan Ford as the director of recreation. Previously, he held the job on an interim basis.
Academic advisors -- Tiffany Martin has been hired as an academic advisor on the staff of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletic department. In June of 2014, Martin stepped into a temporary role as an assistant athletics academic advisor. She worked with student-athletes in women's basketball, tennis, men's soccer, women's soccer, cross country, track & field and swimming & diving over the course of the past six months.
Coaches
Cross Country/Track and Field -- William “Bill” Taraschke is retiring after the completion of his 31st and final year of coaching cross country and track and field at Baldwin Wallace. During his career, Taraschke has guided the Yellow Jacket men’s and women’s track & field teams for the past 30 seasons and the school’s cross country teams for the past 24 years. He also serves as a professor in health and physical education. Overall, Taraschke has led 47 Baldwin Wallace teams to Ohio Athletic Conference titles. He has been named the OAC coach of the year on 35 separate occasions and the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region coach of the year 13 times.
Football -- Oregon State hired Gary Andersen as its new football coach. Andersen succeeds Mike Riley, who left Oregon State for the same position at Nebraska on Dec. 4. Andersen is 30-9 in his last three years as a head coach, highlighted by an 11-win season at Utah State in 2012 and a 10-win season at Wisconsin this fall. He is 49-38 overall in seven years as a head coach and has posted four consecutive winning seasons … Five days after winning his sixth straight state championship at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tony Sanchez was named football coach at UNLV. Sanchez has almost no college experience, serving as a graduate assistant for one season at his alma mater, New Mexico State, before beginning his high school coaching career. His final career record with Bishop Gorman was 85-5; including an undefeated record in 2014 … Fordham announced that football head coach Joe Moorhead's contract has been extended by one year and will now run through the 2022 season. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Moorhead just completed his third season at Fordham as the Rams went 11-3 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA FCS Championship for the second season and only the third time in school history … Tulsa selected Philip Montgomery as the school's 29th head football coach. Montgomery has logged nearly two decades of coaching experience, including the past seven at Baylor where he most recently has served as the offensive coordinator. The Bears have posted 10 or more wins in three of the last four years, including 11 victories in the 2013 and 2014 seasons … Holy Cross and head football coach Tom Gilmore have agreed in principle to a three-year contract extension. A two-time Patriot League coach of the year, Gilmore just concluded his 11th season at Holy Cross in 2014. He owns an overall record of 60-64 during his time with the Crusaders, including a 35-31 mark in conference games … Missouri State named Dave Steckel as its 20th head football coach. He has spent the last 14 seasons with the Missouri Tigers and was the only defensive coach among the five finalists for the 2014 Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach. He has helped produce a total of 15 all-conference linebacker selections at Missouri … Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mitch Stewart has been named as the 18th head football coach in the history of Murray State football. Stewart has been with the Racers for the past five seasons and has been the offensive coordinator in each of the last four. Under his tenure, Murray State has led the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring offense in three of his four seasons as the main signal caller.Stewart-led offenses have averaged 5,201.5 yards and 409 points per season or 452.3 yards and 35.6 points per game … Saint Augustine elevated Interim Head Football Coach Michael Morand to the job permanently. Morand took over the Falcons football team after the first game of the 2014 season. The Falcons finished third in the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Southern Division after they were picked fifth in the preseason … Samford hired Chris Hatcher as its head football coach. Hatcher comes to Samford after serving as the head coach at Murray State since 2010. In 2014, the Racers ranked second in the nation in passing offense, averaging 327.2 yards per game. The team also ranked 15th in total offense at 468.3 yards per contest … Nebraska-Kearney hired former Central Missouri assistant coach Josh Lamberson as its head football coach. Lamberson, 32, is a native of Wilber, Nebraska, and has a career record of 80-30 in nine years as an assistant coach at Central Missouri (39-19), Division II Southeastern Oklahoma (13-9) and Northwest Missouri (28-2) … VMI named Scott Wachenheim football coach. A 1984 graduate of the Air Force Academy and veteran coach with over 25 years of experience in the college ranks, Wachenheim comes to VMI from Virginia where he has served the past five seasons and as Cavaliers offensive line coach since 2011. Prior to that, Wachenheim was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Liberty for three seasons (2006-08) … Sacramento State and head football coach Jody Sears agreed in principle to a three-year contract extension. The agreement will make Sears the head coach through the 2017 season. Sears took over the program on an interim basis in the spring of 2014. He led the team to a 7-5 overall record and 4-4 Big Sky Conference mark during the year … Lewis & Clark hired Jay Locey, former chief of staff at Oregon State, as its new head football coach. Locey is no stranger to the Northwest Conference, having served as head coach of the Linfield Wildcats from 1996 to 2006. Considered one of the most successful coaches in small college football, Locey has been named the Northwest Conference coach of the year five times, earning an 84-18 overall record with the Wildcats. Under Locey, the Wildcats won the 2004 NCAA Division III National Championship and made the Division III playoffs six times. Locey guided Linfield to 41 consecutive wins, including a 23-game unbeaten streak in the Northwest Conference. In total Locey has coached 16 Division III All-Americans.
Women’s gymnastics -- Maryland women’s gymnastics coach Brett Nelligan agreed to a multiyear contract extension. The extension keeps Nelligan with the Terrapins until at least 2019. Entering his sixth season as head coach, Nelligan has amassed an 89-56-1 record including an a 35-16 conference mark over his tenure.
Women’s golf -- Cheryl Stacy was hired as Central Michigan’s women's golf coach. Stacy replaces Tom Beidleman, who was fired in August. Stacy previously served as the head women's golf coach at Michigan from 2009-13. During her time in Ann Arbor, Michigan advanced to NCAA Central Region twice, placing 18th in 2011 and 16th in 2012.
Women’s ice hockey – Minnesota-Duluth women's hockey head coach Shannon Miller will not have her contract extended beyond the 2014-15 season, due to financial considerations. Miller came to school in 1998 and immediately established the program as a national powerhouse, winning five NCAA championships since the program's inception. In that time, she developed 28 current and former Olympians, as well as multiple national team coaches.
Women’s soccer -- Huntingdon hired Emily Barber as the Lady Hawks' new head women's soccer coach. Barber finished the 2014 season as the interim head coach. Barber has spent four seasons with the women's program during two stints at Huntingdon. She was an assistant coach in 2007 and 2008 and returned before the 2013 season … Francis Marion hired Lindsey Morgan of Boone, North Carolina, as the university’s new head coach for women’s soccer. Morgan has been the lead assistant coach at Appalachian State for the past four seasons, during which the Mountaineers won 32 matches. She also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator. In 2013, Appalachian State posted an 8-7-4 mark on the field and a 3.5 team grade point average in the classroom.
Women’s swimming and diving -- Longtime Illinois State swimming and diving coach Steve Paska announced his plans to retire following the 2014-15 season. Paska has coached Illinois State student-athletes for over 30 years. The Illinois State swimming and diving team has enjoyed unprecedented success under Paska's leadership, both in the pool and in the classroom. Student-athletes coached by Paska own all 24 of Illinois State's school-record times.
Women’s volleyball -- Mount Union named Melissa Mahnke women's volleyball coach. Mahnke spent the past five years as an assistant coach with the Purple Raiders as she has been part of a staff that has won three Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles, three conference tournament titles made four NCAA tournament appearances and finished ranked No. 11 in the nation each of the last three seasons … Pepperdine alum Scott Wong was named the Waves’ new head women’s volleyball coach. Wong was a three-time All-American for the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team from 1998-01 before serving as an assistant coach at Pepperdine (2005-09) and at Hawaii (2010-2014).
Men’s water polo -- Bruce Watson, a five-time California Community College coach of the year with more than 600 coaching victories in 31 seasons, accepted the position of head coach of the San Jose State men’s water polo program. Watson returns to San Jose State, his alma mater, after leading West Valley College to six California Community College state championships between 1998 and 2010 and 11 second-place finishes at the state tournament. His coaching record at West Valley was 638-184 covering the 1979 through 1984 and 1990 through 2014 seasons.
Deaths -- Bowling Green mourned the passing of former Athletics Director Jack Gregory on December 4. Gregory served as the leader of the department for 12 years until his retirement in 1994 and was inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame the same year. Gregory graduated from East Stroudsburg in 1952 and served as his alma mater's head football coach, as well as a scout for the Green Bay Packers and associate athletics director at Yale. The football field at East Stroudsburg is named Gregory-Douds Field after Jack and another former coach at the school, Denny Douds. Gregory was the athletics director during arguably the finest moment in Bowling Green athletics history, the 1984 NCAA Division I men’s hockey national championship. That remains as the only NCAA team championship in school history.
December 10th
Directors of Athletics -- Harold Bardo, who recently retired as director of the Southern Illinois-Carbondale Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program and served as faculty representative to the university's athletic program for 15 years, will serve as interim director of intercollegiate athletics effective Jan. 1, 2015. This will be the second time Bardo, who holds three SIU degrees and was a standout athlete in basketball and track, has served in the interim role. He was interim athletic director in 1999 and 2000 prior to the appointment of Paul Kowalczyk. He has served in a number of other SIU teaching and administrative roles, including working several years as an academic adviser for intercollegiate athletics.
Associate athletics directors -- UTSA hired Kevin Terry as senior associate athletics director for business/Chief Financial Officer. Terry comes to UTSA with more than 15 years of intercollegiate athletics experience at Florida State, Florida A&M and Georgia Tech. He previously served as associate athletic director at Florida A&M in Tallahassee, where he was responsible for internal operations, along with business, contract, financial and procurement activities.
Coaches
Football -- Georgia Tech and head coach Paul Johnson have agreed in principle to a four-year contract extension through the 2020 season. Johnson is 58-34 in seven seasons as Georgia Tech head coach and has led the Yellow Jackets to their third ACC Championship Game appearance in seven seasons. Johnson was named the 2014 ACC Coach of the Year – the third time he’s been honored with the award … Houston head football coach Tony Levine has been relieved of his duties after three years with the Cougars. In its three years under Levine, Houston finished 21-17 including 14-10 conference mark in Conference USA his first season and the American Athletic Conference the latter two seasons. Houston finished its inaugural season in The American in fourth place with a record of 5-3 before finishing fifth with an identical record in this year's revamped league … Columbia accepted the resignation of Pete Mangurian … Tennessee and football coach Butch Jones agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2020. Jones owns a career record of 61-40 (.604) in eight seasons as a head coach with Tennessee (2013-14), Cincinnati (2010-12) and Central Michigan (2007-09) and also owns a 37-23 record (.617) in conference games. In eight seasons as a head coach, Jones has led his teams to six bowl appearances. The 2014 Vols finished 6-6 and earned the school's first bowl bid in four seasons … David Beaty was hired by Kansas. With more than 20 years of coaching experience, including two previous stints as an assistant coach with the Jayhawks, Beaty takes over the program after spending three previous seasons as the Texas A&M wide receivers coach, where he also coordinated all the recruiting efforts during the 2013-14 seasons. Beaty came to Texas A&M after serving as offensive coordinator at both Kansas and Rice. He was the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Kansas in 2011.
Men’s soccer- Longtime Lander men's soccer coach Van Taylor is retiring after 30 years on the Bearcat sidelines. He will transition to the role of Lander's new director of development.
December 5
Directors of athletics -- Former longtime baseball coach Joey Estrella will run the Hawaii-Hilo athletics department on an interim basis, taking over for Tim Moore, until a permanent replacement can be found. Estrella has maintained a presence at the university as a booster and part-time public-address announcer since he retired in 2013 after 37 seasons at the helm of a baseball program he founded. He also served as UH-Hilo’s athletic director from 1980-89 … Saint Michael's College Director of Athletics Geri Knortz announced that 2014-15 will be her final academic year in the position, and that she will retire at the conclusion of her 18th year with the college on June 30, 2015. Knortz's achievements during her tenure have been numerous. Within the department of athletics and in cooperation with the college's Faculty Athletics Representatives, Knortz spearheaded the formation of the current faculty affiliate program, set team grade-point average expectations, and supported the Purple Knight Academic Challenge Cup, which has helped the Saint Michael's student-athletes' overall GPA reach 3.0.
Associate athletics directors -- The University of Maryland has hired Damon Evans as its senior associate athletics director/chief financial officer. As the director of athletics at the University of Georgia from 2004-10, Evans managed a program with 600 student-athletes, an $85 million budget and a staff of 250. In 2009, Evans was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year for the Division I Southeast Region. He earned the Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The May 5, 2003 edition of Sports Illustrated rated Evans as one of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.”… T.J. Isaacs has been hired as associate athletics director of development/external affairs at the College of Charleston. He will be responsible for major-gift fundraising for athletics including Patriots Point as well as overseeing marketing, ticketing and broadcast sales. Prior to CofC, Isaacs served as director of major gifts for the Sun Devil Club at Arizona State University.
Assistant athletics directors -- Queens College (NY) is pleased to announce that Kevin Williams, the former senior marketing manager at Taylor and Francis Group will serve as the new assistant athletics director for external relations. In his new role, Williams will oversee the entire external relations staff for the athletics department. Williams, who was a Division I football student-athlete, started as an marketing intern in 2004 and worked his way up to a senior level position at Taylor and Francis Group; integrating marketing strategies for various campaigns, including Amazon.com … Frantzer Le Blanc, who has worked in the areas of athletics facilities and operations for the last 10 years, has been named to the new position of assistant athletics director for facilities at the University of Delaware. Le Blanc, who comes to Delaware after serving the last six years at Hofstra University, will work closely with Delaware Senior Associate Athletics Director for Facilities, Operations, and Capital Projects Joe Shirley and Associate Athletics Director for Operations and Events Alicia Greco-Walker in overseeing all athletics facilities and event operations.
Athletics trainers -- Clayton State University hired Alicia M. Roane as sports information director. A highly accomplished professional, Roane brings 10 years of experience to the Lakers training staff, all of which have come at the college level. Most recently Roane served as the head athletic trainer at Division III Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, since August of 2007. During her time with the Sharks, she was responsible for the assessment, care, prevention and rehabilitation of athletic injuries suffered by any of the 225 student-athletes comprising 10 teams.
Assistant athletics trainers-- Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ announced that Sara Siewerth has joined the sports medicine staff as an assistant athletic trainer. Siewerth comes to the position after completing two years as an athletic training student at Plymouth State, where she earned her master’s degree in athletic training in May of 2014. In her time at Plymouth State, she worked closely with the women’s volleyball, men’s ice hockey, women’s lacrosse and football teams.
Directors of Development – Arkansas-Little Rock hired Sheena Howell as the department’s new director of development. Howell comes back to UALR after spending the last two years as director of marketing with the QBOT Corporation. Before her time with QBOT, Howell spent two years in the UALR department of athletics as the Trojans’ Director of Sales. Howell cultivated relationships with donors and assisted in managing SpectacUALR, the department’s annual fundraiser. Howell also oversaw ticket sales, season ticket renewals and marketing plans while serving as a liaison for the UALR Alumni Association.
Sports Information Directors -- Clayton State University has officially announced the hiring of Joshua J. Darling as sports information director. A nine year veteran of the sports information field, Dalring brings four years of Division I experience and four plus years at the Division II level. Most recently Darling was the sports information director at Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina, from July 2010 to September 2014. While there, he was directly responsible for oversight of all media relations efforts for 25 sports along with cheerleading and competitive dance and served as the web master for the College's athletic web site.
Coaches
Baseball --The University of Louisiana-Monroe announced that head baseball coach Bruce Peddie has been given a multi-year contract pending approval by the University of Louisiana System’s Board of Supervisors. The contract will run through June 30, 2018.
Baseball assistants -- Guilford College athletics hired Chris Johnson as the Quakers’ assistant baseball coach. Johnson, who also assisted the Quakers from 2007-08, will serve as head coach Nick Black’s pitching coach. Johnson spent the previous four years at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, North Carolina, where he served two years as director of student life and athletics and two seasons as head baseball coach and student life program assistant.
Men’s basketball assistants -- The Moravian College men’s basketball program added Bill McCaffrey to its staff as an assistant coach. After his collegiate career, McCaffrey went on to play five years of professional basketball overseas. His prior coaching experience includes two seasons as an assistant coach at St. Bonaventure University and a year at the University of Maine.
Fencing -- Janusz Bednarski, head coach of the highly successful University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s fencing programs the last dozen years, has announced his retirement—and eight-year Irish assistant coach Guiorgie "Gia" Kvaratskhelia will become the new Notre Dame head coach. Highlights of Bednarski’s tenure include the 2003, 2005 and 2011 NCAA national championships. Regarded as one of the top foil coaches in the nation, Kvaratskhelia served as Notre Dame’s associate head fencing coach the last three years after five previous seasons as an assistant coach.
Football -- Benedict College has released head football coach James Woody from his contract. Woody took over midway through the 2011 season and went 1-5 as interim coach. Benedict went 1-9 in 2012 before going 4-6 in 2013 and 2014. Woody was 4-10 in home games and 6-20 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games … Portland State University announced that head football coach Nigel Burton's contract is being terminated. During Burton's five years at Portland State, the Vikings posted 21 wins to 36 losses, including a 3-9 record this season … Troy will officially introduce former Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown as its new football head coach …University of Nebraska dismissed head football coach Bo Pelini. Hired as Nebraska’s 28th coach on December 2, 2007, Pelini posted a 67-27 record in his seven years at the helm of the Husker Football Program …UNLV football head coach Bobby Hauck is resigning his position. Hauck is finishing his fifth year at UNLV and his 12th overall as a head coach. He headed into the final game of the season with a record of 15-48 with the Rebels, including 11-27 in the Mountain West Conference. Before being hired as the 10th head coach in UNLV history on Dec. 23, 2009, he compiled a record of 80-17 at the FCS-level University of Montana from 2003-09 … Chad Morris has been named the head football coach at SMU. Morris arrives on the Hilltop after five seasons as an offensive coordinator on the collegiate level and 16 seasons as a Texas high school coach. For the past four seasons, Morris has served as offensive coordinator at Clemson, helping the Tigers to a 41-11 record, the 2011 ACC Championship and four bowl berths, including two BCS Orange Bowl appearances. Clemson also posted three final top-25 rankings, including a top-10 finish in the final USA Today polls in 2012 and 2013 … University of Tulsa announced that Bill Blankenship has concluded his tenure as head coach of the Golden Hurricane football program … VMI announced that the contract of head football coach Sparky Woods will not be extended. Woods, who recently completed his seventh season as VMI head coach, compiled a 17-62 mark at the Institute. VMI posted a 2-10 overall mark in 2014 and 1-6 record in its first season as a Southern Conference member since rejoining the league after an 11-year run in the Big South Conference … After a four-year run, Rob Cushman has resigned as the head football coach at Augustana (Illinois), effective immediately. Cushman, who took over from Jim Barnes on November 24, 2010, was originally hired as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings on February 28, 2008. He compiled an overall record of 17-23 in four years at the Vikings' helm … Samford football coach Pat Sullivan has decided to step down from his position and move into another role within the university. Sullivan, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner as a player at Auburn, recently completed his eighth season as Samford's head football coach. He is the program's all-time leader in career wins. He has led the team to four-straight winning seasons for the first time since 1999, and the Bulldogs have won at least seven games for three-straight seasons for the first time since 1962 … University of Michigan announced that Brady Hoke will not be returning as football coach next season. Hoke became the 19th head coach in Michigan football history on Jan. 11, 2011. A former assistant coach at Michigan (1995-2002), Hoke guided the Wolverines to a 31-20 record (18-14 Big Ten) in his four seasons as head coach. Michigan finished the 2014 season with a 5-7 record … Rockford University announced the hiring of Jim Schroeder as its next head football coach. Schroeder joins Rockford after spending the previous 10 seasons as the defensive coordinator at Benedictine University. He becomes the sixth head coach in the program's 15-year history.
Women’s Soccer -- Ross Paule has been named the fifth head coach in Creighton women’s soccer history. One of the greatest players in the illustrious history of Bluejays’ men’s soccer, Paule returns to Creighton after spending the last nine years working with various levels of youth soccer in his home state of Tennessee. Paule played only three years at Creighton (1994-96) before being drafted into Major League Soccer, but his significant and lasting contributions helped him become the eighth player in program history to earn a spot in the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame when he was inducted in the spring of 2012.
Softball -- Husson University Softball Coach and Director of Compliance, Kristie Hawkins, has accepted a new position outside of collegiate athletics and will be leaving her position with the Eagles on December 12. Hawkins, who arrived at Husson from the Colorado School of Mines in 2013, led Husson softball to its sixth-straight North Atlantic Conference Championship and NCAA Division III tournament appearance in her first season with the team in 2014 … The University of Louisiana-Monroe announced that head softball coach Corey Lyon has been given a multi-year contract pending approval by the University of Louisiana System’s Board of Supervisors. The contract will run through June 30, 2018 … Maine-Presque Isle named Sara Shaw head softball coach. A 2008 graduate of Maine-Farmington, Shaw possesses a wealth of softball coaching and strength and conditioning experience including a stint as the assistant softball and basketball coach at Maine-Presque Isle in 2010.
Tennis -- David Nass, who has served as tennis head coach at North Carolina Central University for the past 17 years, will retire effective Dec. 31. Nass was named head coach for both men's and women's tennis programs at NCCU in 1997. One year into his tenure, Nass was selected as the 1998 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tennis Coach of the Year, after guiding the men's tennis team to its first conference championship in 24 years. The Eagles finished the 1998 season with 11 consecutive wins to end with a 15-1 conference record and 16-6 overall mark. In 2013, Nass was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year, after leading the Lady Eagles to a program record 14 match victories and a 5-1 mark in conference play.
Women’s volleyball -- Loyola University Maryland announced that Jake Lawrence, who has served as head volleyball coach for the last four seasons, will not return in 2015. Loyola finished the 2014 season with a 2-27 record and 0-16 mark in the Patriot League. Over his four years as the Greyhounds' head coach, Lawrence's teams went 31-85 and 16-51 in conference play (2013-14 in the Patriot League, 2011-12 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) … Eastern Michigan University head volleyball coach Kim Berrington, the third-longest tenured head coach in Mid-American Conference history, has announced her resignation. Berrington's name is synonymous with Eastern Michigan volleyball as her involvement with the program dates back to the 1987 season when she was an assistant coach. Leading the program the past 19 seasons, she compiled a 305-289 record and is the winningest coach in EMU volleyball history … Jim Barnes, Baylor University's volleyball coach the past 11 seasons, will not return as the program's coach. Barnes became Baylor's volleyball coach in 2004 and compiled an 11-year record of 181-170, including a 14-17 mark in 2014. He is the winningest coach in program history and coached 57 Academic All-Big 12 selections, eight CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, 13 All-Big 12 performers and one All-American. Barnes led Baylor to a pair of NCAA tournaments (2009 and 2011), reaching the Sweet 16 in 2009 … Mississippi State volleyball coach Jenny Hazelwood is being reassigned to an administrative position in the athletic department and will no longer serve as head coach. Hazelwood compiled a 55-129 record in six seasons at the helm, including an 20-96 mark in Southeastern Conference play. She coached two American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans, five All-SEC stars, one CoSIDA Academic All-American and 36 All-SEC Academic and All-SEC Freshman Academic honorees … Leigh Ann Swartz is resigning her position as head women's volleyball coach at the University of Mount Union. Swartz has coached the Purple Raiders for nine seasons and is a two-time Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2006 and 2012) whose teams have won three conference regular season titles, three conference tournament titles and made five NCAA Tournament appearances.
Water Polo -- George Washington announced that head men's and women's water polo coach Scott Reed will not return to the program. Reed compiled a record of 167-280 (.374) in 16 seasons with the men's water polo team, including a 12-80 (.130) mark in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division. Reed guided the women's water polo team to a 173-240 (.419) mark in 15 seasons, including a 33-60 (.355) mark in the CWPA Southern.
Deaths -- Bill Johnson, Gulf South Conference supervisor of football officials from 1997-2010, passed away November 28. Bill worked in officiating for 46 years. He was a member of the Birmingham Football Officials Association from 1964-1986 and he also worked as an official in the Gulf South Conference from 1984-96 before taking over the supervisor role in 1997. Bill also worked at the Division I level and in professional leagues.
