CLEVELAND – TCNJ Executive Director of Athletics Amanda V. DeMartino on Wednesday was named a winner of the Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year Award, presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
 
The AD of the Year Award (ADOY) highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities, and DeMartino certainly fits the bill for TCNJ Athletics.
 
In her fifth year at TCNJ, the athletics department is as strong as ever. TCNJ won the NJAC Cup as the top performing department in the conference in 2017-18 when 12 teams competed in NCAA postseason competition. Since her arrival at TCNJ in 2017, the Lions have won 31 conference championships.
 
"I would like to thank NACDA for recognizing me as one of this year's honorees for this prestigious award," DeMartino said. "I am grateful to work with such a tremendous administrative and coaching staff every day, who are all deeply committed to the student-athlete experience."
 
TCNJ has garnered national recognition in several sports. The Lions earned their 50^th individual national champion when wrestler Ryan Budzik won the title at 149 pounds in 2019.
 
In 2019-2020, the men's basketball team won the NJAC title and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in more than 30 years. In 2020-2021, TCNJ won eight NJAC titles despite not competing in the fall semester due to COVID-19. Those eight titles included a sweep of women's championships in the spring season. Eight TCNJ student-athletes were named All-Americans. The women's lacrosse team came one win away from competing in the Final Four.
 
So far in 2021-22, the women's soccer team reached the national championship game after spending most of the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation.

"I was thrilled to learn of Amanda's selection as a D-III Athletic Director of the Year," said TCNJ President Dr. Kathryn A. Foster. "TCNJ, our coaches, student athletes, athletics personnel, fans and friends benefit daily from her vision, expertise, and energy. She exemplifies our commitment to D-III principles of equity, ethical conduct, student-athlete wellbeing, and fair play. Amanda is an extraordinary leader and we are fortunate to have her at the college."
 
The success of the athletics department extends to other areas, as well. Three TCNJ student-athletes were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans including Sam Platt (softball, 2018), Zach Warcola (football, 2019) and Shannon Devitt (women's basketball, 2021).
 
TCNJ facilities have seen an upgrade in the DeMartino administration. Playing facilities were reorganized to put TCNJ field hockey and lacrosse into their own complex on campus, complete with a new AstroTurf playing field that is the premier field hockey surface in the industry. Branding initiatives across the facilities include signage at Lions Stadium for football and soccer, George Ackerman Park for baseball and Dr. June Walker Field for softball.
 
Lions Stadium also received a new FieldTurf Core system. TCNJ became just the second school in New Jersey, following Rutgers, to install the surface. The surface is also prominently used in NFL stadiums that also host Major League Soccer teams, including Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
 
TCNJ's aquatics center has also been renovated with a brand-new filtration system, a full drainage system around the deck, and a completely retiled deck.
 
TCNJ will also renovate its varsity weight room in the summer of 2022 while also embarking on a Hall of Champions project will properly honor and respect the incredibly rich tradition of TCNJ Athletics.
 
The TCNJ golf outing has become a huge hit under DeMartino. The 2021 event sold out two golf courses with alumni golfers from each sponsored sport with hole sponsors for all 18 holes of each course. Athletics also shows its strong alumni support on TCNJ's Day of Giving, with the athletics department raising more than 25 percent of gifts for the entire institution.
 
DeMartino has also piloted the graduate assistant program in the athletics department. TCNJ will look to have 18 graduate assistants in the 2022-23 school year, providing the teams with additional coaching support while giving opportunities to young professionals to earn graduate degrees while gaining invaluable experience in a successful athletics department.
 
"This award is really a reflection of the passion, hard work and commitment to growth that we all collectively bring to campus on a daily basis," DeMartino said. "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our President, Dr. Kathryn Foster, and Vice President for Student Affairs, Sean Stallings, for their continuous support of TCNJ Athletics and all that we do."
 
DeMartino serves as a member of the NJAC Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and she also initiated the Lions Leading Lions program that works with the TCNJ Office of Leadership to provide educational and motivational programming to emerging student-athlete leaders. She also started the Faculty Mentor Program to assist coaches in the recruitment of well-qualified student-athletes.
 
Now in its 57th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
 
DeMartino is one of just 28 recipients that spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges), and she is one of just four NCAA Division III winners. Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 57th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas on June 28.