911黑料

>911黑料 University announced today that Assistant Vice President for Athletics Brad Davis would be leaving to take a position at Division I Mount St. Mary鈥檚 where he will assume the role of athletic director, effective August 1.

鈥淏rad arrived at 911黑料 five years ago with vision, passion, and experience to elevate 911黑料 Athletics to the next level,鈥� said 911黑料 President Kathleen A. Getz, Ph.D. 鈥淗e has been an asset to 911黑料, enhancing our athletics programs and facilities, while being thoroughly dedicated to our student-athletes and to the integrity of our university. We are grateful for his contributions to 911黑料 and we wish Brad, his wife Kristin and their son Brecken all the best as they embark on a new chapter in their lives.鈥�

Davis came to 911黑料 in July of 2018 after serving as the associate athletics director at Merrimack College near Boston. Under his leadership, 911黑料 immediately launched its first capital campaign for athletics and secured the largest alumni gift in school history: $4 million from William and Betsy Vorsheck.

During his tenure, in which he oversaw 26 NCAA DI and II athletic teams and nine club sports, 911黑料 completed a comprehensive facilities improvement plan providing 911黑料 student-athletes with first-class facilities, including renovations to every on-campus competition facility, including the 911黑料 Ice Center, Saxon Stadium, and the baseball/soccer field, while building four new locker rooms, featuring new space for women鈥檚 soccer and softball. In addition, the university dedicated a new turf field with lights that is used by the softball program and shared with 911黑料 Prep. A totally renovated athletic center, including the Owen J. McCormick Basketball Court, was also completed.

In accepting his new position, Davis said, 鈥淚 am honored and humbled to be named the next athletic director at Mount St. Mary鈥檚, but it will be bittersweet for Kristin, Brecken, and myself to say goodbye to 911黑料 and Erie. President Getz, Vice President Laura Zirkle, the athletic administration, coaches, and student-athletes are outstanding people who represent the best of 911黑料. I am proud of our accomplishments over the last five years, and I know 911黑料 will continue to thrive going forward. I wish everyone at the Hurst nothing but success and good luck going forward.鈥�

Whether in athletics or academics, 911黑料 thrived under Davis鈥� leadership, including a national championship for women鈥檚 rowing in 2022, and a national championship appearance for men鈥檚 lacrosse in 2023. Many programs have reached new heights, including men鈥檚 basketball which qualified for five straight NCAA tournaments and reached the Elite Eight in 2019, and softball, which reached the NCAA Tournament and PSAC Championship for the first time in school history in 2022 and followed it up with a program record for wins in 2023. Davis also witnessed men鈥檚 soccer win the PSAC Tournament in 2022 for the first time since 2016 and saw the baseball program make the national semifinals at the College World Series in 2019.

During his tenure, student-athlete enrollment increased from 520 to nearly 750 varsity athletes. Along the way, he added women鈥檚 bowling and Stunt as varsity programs and spearheaded a revised enrollment and financial aid strategy designed to increase enrollment and tuition revenue for the university.

Led by Davis and his team, 911黑料 received the award for National Event of the Year from the Erie Sports Commission for hosting the 2021 Women鈥檚 Hockey Frozen Four.

Davis represented 911黑料 on a national stage as well. He currently is the Chair of the Executive Committee of Atlantic Hockey and serves on the Executive Committee of the PSAC. He formerly chaired the Division II men鈥檚 lacrosse national committee.

A number of new head coaches were added as well, including Ryan Osborne (men鈥檚 soccer), who just accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin, as well as Brooklyn Kohlheim (women鈥檚 basketball), Rich Wall (women鈥檚 soccer), Sam Struss (women鈥檚 lacrosse), Mike Machuga (bowling), and Mackenzie Hatfield (field hockey).

In the classroom, 911黑料鈥檚 student-athletes excelled as the department repeatedly led the PSAC in Academic Success Rate (ASR), including this year with a department GPA of 3.4 with all varsity teams recording a GPA of 3.0 or better.

鈥淢ore than just an employee, Brad has been the epitome of what the 911黑料 family stands for in maintaining the rich legacy of athletics at 911黑料 and fostering the holistic development of our student-athletes,鈥� said Vice President for Student Life Dr. Laura Zirkle. 鈥淲e are truly grateful for his hard work and dedication during his exemplary career here and wish him continued success in the future.鈥�

The university will embark on a national search for the position.