Skyhawks’ fifth Athletic Director accepts position at Holy
Cross, effective February 2
BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: " Stonehill director of athletics Brendan Sullivan leaving for Holy Cross"
EASTON, Mass. (December 19, 2014) – Stonehill College has accepted the resignation of Brendan Sullivan, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, who has been hired as the Associate Director of Athletics for Finance & Business at the College of the Holy Cross. The announcement was made this morning by Sullivan and confirmed by Pauline Dobrowski, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Stonehill President, Rev. John Denning, C.S.C.
"With great appreciation for having had the privilege to serve Stonehill College and our tremendous student-athletes, I announce my resignation today as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics,” said Sullivan. For nearly 13 years, I have had the honor to serve Stonehill athletics in a variety of roles and I have cherished every day that I have been able to support and enhance the experiences of our student-athletes.”
Since taking over for the recently retired Paula Sullivan, when she was promoted to Assistant Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation in 2008, Sullivan has guided Stonehill athletics through a period of unprecedented success. The Skyhawks have finished in the top three of the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents’ Cup, given to signify overall success in all Conference sports, all six years under his direction, enjoying a run of three-straight Presidents’ Cup titles from 2009-10 through the 2011-12 academic year. The Skyhawks also finished second twice (2009, 2014) and third once (2013) during his tenure and presently lead the Presidents’ Cup standings following the fall season by 6.5 points.
“Brendan is a dedicated, hard-working professional with a great passion for intercollegiate athletics, especially how they can teach our students important life lessons about the value of teamwork and responsibility,” said Fr. Denning. “I thank him for his service to the College and wish him every success at Holy Cross.”
Sullivan has enjoyed an overall affiliation with Stonehill for 13 years, the last 12 within the athletic department. As Director of Athletics, Sullivan managed all aspects of the department, comprised of 20 intercollegiate athletic programs and 470 student athletes. The program has maintained a high level of academic excellence, receiving the NCAA Division II Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence, which honors athletic programs with a four-year academic success rating (ASR) of 90-percent or better, each of the first four years of the program. Stonehill student-athletes have achieved an ASR of 96-percent or better each year since the NCAA has started publicizing the statistic, ranking eighth nationally in Division II in the most recent ranking this fall with an overall ASR of 96%, including 12 programs achieving a perfect rate of 100%.
Stonehill is ranked third in the most recent National Collegiate
Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings, used to assess the
academic and athletic standards of all NCAA programs, and has
regularly been ranked in the final Learfield Sports
Directors’ Cup standings recognizing overall athletic
achievement in NCAA Championships. The Skyhawks are currently ranked a program-best eighth in the fall Learfield
Cup standings released last week and finished a
program-high 20th overall following the 2009-10 academic
year.
In Sullivan’s six and a half years as Director of Athletics, Stonehill has won 29 Northeast-10 Conference Championships, including ten over the last 18 months, and earned 45 NCAA Tournament bids, including an impressive nine during the 2009-10 academic year as the Skyhawks captured their first of three-straight NE-10 Presidents’ Cups. That year Stonehill served as host of the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships as well as the Men’s Basketball East Regional. The Men’s Basketball team also reached the Elite Eight after claiming a second regional championship in 2011-12. Corey Thomas, ‘13 produced the men’s track & field program’s first National Champion in the indoor high jump in 2011 and current junior Emma Zamierowski won an individual Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Hunter Seat National Championship for walk-trot equitation in May.
Sullivan has played a vital role in the fundraising, conceptual development and planned renovation and expansion of the College’s Sports Complex which, when it opens in 2015, will house the 50,000-square foot Fr. Mark Cregan Athletics & Recreation Center. The $18-million facility, which will be a much needed addition for varsity and recreational sports, will include superior athletic fitness, lockerroom and training facilities. He also assisted in the creation and implementation of a capital campaign that raised $2.5-million towards the construction of W.B. Mason Stadium which opened in September 2005.
“Brendan believes in our student-athletes and has been a tireless advocate for them,” said Dobrowski. “He has helped our athletics program to grow and mature, ensuring academic and athletic success for our students while encouraging them to develop as young adults who care about being just and compassionate members of society. From working on the project to expand and upgrade our Sports Complex, to serving on numerous committees focused on enrollment, diversity, and planning, Brendan has been engaged in numerous key campus initiatives and has always worked to ensure that athletics is successfully integrated into the overall educational mission of the College. He has been a great asset and leaves behind many friends and admirers at the College.”
Sullivan designed and implemented the Stonehill Leadership
Academy, which educates its student-athletes on leadership,
self-branding and communications skills. He has been a member of
the College’s Enrollment Management Committee, Strategic
Planning Committee, Marketing Committee and Web Redesign Team.
Sullivan is active within college athletics, not just on the Stonehill campus, but with both the Northeast-10 and NCAA Division II. He currently serves on the NE-10’s Administrative Committee after completing a term as Chair of the NE-10 Finance Committee, which is responsible for annually drafting, approving and amending the Conference’s budget. He has also served as a member of the NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse national committee and was integral in Stonehill being named host for the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships.
“As I depart, I would like to thank the entire Stonehill community for their support of the Athletics Department during my tenure,” said Sullivan. “I would especially like to thank and acknowledge a Stonehill icon, Paula Sullivan, for her constant mentorship, guidance, and friendship. Also, I am grateful to the leadership of the College for whom I served – (former President) Rev. Mark T. Cregan, CSC, '78, (current President) Rev. John Denning, CSC, and (Vice President for Student Affairs) Pauline Dobrowski. I would also like to thank the tremendous individuals that I worked alongside on a daily basis to enhance our successes - our coaches and athletic staff. Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank the student-athletes of Stonehill for allowing me the opportunity to help them succeed and to witness on a daily basis their personal growth, athletic success, and moral development.
“As I begin my next opportunity at Holy Cross, I do so with deep gratitude for all that Stonehill has given me and with an understanding that I will forever be grateful to this wonderful institution. My sincerest hope is that I have left the College and our athletic tradition in a better place through my contributions.”
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