Geneseo Sports Information Department
GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo has named Brockport Associate Director of Athletics and Compliance Dani Drews its next Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation.
Drews becomes only the third athletic director in the last 20 years at Geneseo, succeeding Mike Mooney, who announced his retirement following 37 years of service to the department, including the last 12 years as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, earlier this year.
"Geneseo has benefitted from a long history of strong athletic directors and we are excited that Dani Drews will continue that tradition," said Vice President for Student and Campus Life Dr. Michael Taberski. "She has demonstrated throughout her career that she is a fierce advocate for providing an outstanding student-athlete experience leading to success both in competition and academically."
Drews spent the last five years as the Assistant Director of Athletics at Brockport, and was recently promoted to Associate Athletic Director this past academic year. While with the Golden Eagles, Drews was honored with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Classified Service (2022). She served as a member of the Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Assessment Team, developed strategic planning framework for the department, helped to develop crowdfunding platforms for all of Brockport's athletic teams and served on multiple search committees outside of the athletic department.
"Geneseo epitomizes the NCAA Division III model with its proud history of excellence in academics and athletics," said Drews. "The student-athletes and staff are exceptional and I am humbled by and grateful for their trust in me to carry on this tradition."
Drews' tenure marks her second stint as an athletic director, serving in the same role at The Sage Colleges from 2005 to 2017. While at Sage, Drews led an expansion within the department increasing the athletic programs from five to 15 in 2012, adding nearly 150 student-athletes to the institution while significantly increasing tuition revenue. With the department growth, Drews also added 12 full-time staff members to the department during her tenure. Under Drews, Sage Athletics also executed renovations of many athletic facilities, including two fitness centers, two varsity gymnasiums and an athletic training room. She also created 'Sage Nation,' an athletics booster club designed to connect with former student-athletes.
"With her experience as an athletic administrator, Dani's expertise will guide Geneseo to strategically build upon the strengths of our programs while bringing a new vision for the benefit of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and the entire #OneKnight community," added Taberski.
In addition to her time spent at Sage, Drews also served as an Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Information Director and Women's Volleyball Coach at Oswego from 1991-2005. She served as chair of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Committee for two years and has served on several conference-level, state and national committees within college athletics. Drews holds memberships with the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
"This is such a critical time for Division III as we return to play, post-COVID, and revamp the NCAA Constitution and Bylaws," added Drews. "We have a real opportunity to create a model that better serves our staff and supports our student-athletes. Having the opportunity to do so from a place like Geneseo is exciting and I cannot wait to get started."
Drews' first day at Geneseo is scheduled for July 7th, 2022.
