The search is over and the Freeman era begins for Lafayette’s new athletic director. Sherryta Freeman, Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of Pennsylvania accepted an offer to become the next Athletic Director for the Leopards. She had Penn’s major high profile sports reporting to her, Football and Basketball, along with other duties. She arrived at Penn from city rival Temple after a stint at the Ivy League headquarters and a successful administrative and athletic career at Dartmouth where she also earned her degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in African and African American Studies.
She earned two championship rings while a member of the Dartmouth basketball team and appeared in the NCAA tournament as a result. She was a star basketball player at Hillside High School in New Jersey scoring 2056 points, the most by any female player. She was the captain of the Dartmouth squad and her coaches looked to her to “spark the team defensively and to get us to the other end,” she is quoted as saying
Lafayette is certainly looking forward to getting its athletic program to the other side of the Presidents Cup. Being an athletic director was in her DNA. ” As an athletic director your goal is to make a strong and successful department. As a former athlete, you know how important it is to be part of something like that, ” she was quoted as saying 9 years ago.
I had the privilege to meet her and in two words I would describe my initial impression as charismatic and articulate. She has the ability to light up the room with her intelligence and enthusiasm. She sees winning as critically important to giving our student athletes a good experience and intends on instilling a winning culture in a department that has had a paucity of wins for the last several years. I am sure we will see the desire to turn that around in her first press conference this January.
The Penn football coach has her as the “closer” for top recruits. Dr. M.Grace Calhoun Penn’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation said , ” Lafayette has make an outstanding hire in choosing Sherryta Freeman to lead its athletic department. Her dedication to serving our student athletes and coaches has made her extremely valuable to our Division one programs. I am confident that the experience she has gained as Penn Athletics senior administrator has prepared her to successfully lead Lafayette’s athletic department. She will be sorely missed at Penn but I am elated for her and Lafayette.”
I look forward to her arrival in February and I am looking forward to see what her first actions will be.
Welcome Sherryta and GO PARDS!!
Lafayette College Field Hockey 