Messiah hires first female athletic director
Imagine getting hired in the midst of a pandemic via Zoom—and making history. Last summer, Messiah University hired its first female athletic director, Sarah Gustin-Hamrock, who will oversee 22 NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletic programs. She says she’s especially excited to work in a Christian environment.
“I feel honored to be given this opportunity, and I believe that God placed me here and now for a reason,” said Gustin-Hamrock. “I am very cognizant of the fact that strong female leaders before me paved the way, specifically in the world of collegiate athletics, and for that I am grateful. I don’t feel like a trailblazer … but I do want young women to know that there is no vocation that they cannot or should not pursue if they feel like God is leading them there.”
She brings 20+ years of college athletics experience to Messiah. A former women’s volleyball player and coach, she mostly recently worked as the associate athletic director at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.
From her first day on July 1, there was plenty to do in the midst of COVID-19. In order for student-athletes to participate in practices and scrimmages during winter sports, they were tested for the virus three times a week, a difficult task logistically and administratively.
“I want to thank the Engle Center and our athletic training staff for assisting us with the winter team testing. Part of what made winter so difficult was that it was our first experience with testing and we were using a test that required an RN to administer. We transitioned to a different test that our athletic training staff could administer at the tail end of winter. We are in a good place, but it is still pretty stressful to manage. But it is all worth it to see our teams competing and gaining just a little bit of normalcy,” she said.
Despite a fall 2020 semester like no other for Messiah athletes, they powered through. Gustin-Hamrock notes that, out of the 421 athletes enrolled last fall, they amassed a cumulative grade point average of 3.56 as a department.
“I’m proud to represent such a high GPA,” she said.
Spring sports progressed well as with an abbreviated but official season. Wrestling wrapped up their season with a trip to the National Wrestling Coaches Association championships. Women’s basketball won their 5th consecutive MAC Championship.
“Those were exciting events for me to be a part of in my first year,” said Gustin-Hamrock. “I know our student-athletes are excited to be competing, and our staff is very happy to be working games again. I’m happy to be part of a community that supports each other the way we do.”
— Anna Seip