Northern | The Alumni Magazine Of Northern Kentucky University

NORTHERN ATHLETICS

Meier resigns as athletics director

Jane Meier announced earlier this year that she will resign as NKU’s athletics director. She leaves behind an athletics department that has emerged as one of the nation’s best during her tenure and a legacy of winning the right way.

“I feel very good about this decision and the time was right, but I have loved working at NKU,” Meier said. “I will always be grateful to NKU and those who gave me the opportunity to be the athletics director 21 years.

Jane Meier has been the face and foundation of Northern Kentucky University’s athletics program during the past 21 years as the Norse’s athletics director. Under Meier’s watch, NKU has emerged as a national force at the NCAA Division II level and established itself as a dominant program in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Meier began her career at NKU in 1978 as the volleyball head coach. She also coached both softball and women’s basketball before becoming NKU’s athletics director in 1988. Under Meier’s leadership, NKU has won two NCAA Division II national championships and captured 20 regional titles. NKU has also won 61 GLVC regular-season or tournament championships during her tenure.

Before 1988, NKU had a total of 17 NCAA Tournament appearances. Since Meier’s arrival as athletics director, NKU has had 76 NCAA Tournament appearances. Included in that total are 13 trips to the NCAA Division II Final Four.

“Jane Meier has led the NKU intercollegiate athletics program with vision, integrity, courage and a deep understanding of the role that athletics plays in the life of a university,” NKU president Dr. James Votruba said. “Jane has ensured that the education and welfare of our student-athletes was always the foremost consideration.

Soccer sets sights on GLVC

NKU senior Braden Bishop is looking forward to the fall soccer season and hopes to return to NCAA tournament action as the team did last fall. The team has added six players to the squad as it returned to action in August.

Eaton named NKU AD

Scott Eaton, Ph.D. was announced as NKU’s new athletic director July 27. Eaton has worked at NKU as an administrator since 1998. During his career at NKU, Eaton has played key roles in the academic, compliance, budget, event management and facility areas.

Prior to NKU, Eaton worked at Brown University in Providence, R.I., as special assistant to the athletic director and assistant men’s basketball coach. Eaton graduated from Bowdoin College in 1986, where he was a student athlete. He later earned master’s degrees from both Fitchburg State College and Springfield College before receiving his doctorate from Boston University.

“I am both honored and excited about the opportunity,” Eaton said. “While this marks the end of an incredible era, it provides us an opportunity for a new beginning for NKU athletics. The standards of excellence and the core values that have guided NKU to both local and national success, and respect as an institution, will remain the same,” Eaton added.

“Those values will guide our athletic department into the future, where we intend to further that success, excellence, and growth in the classroom and on the playing field.”

New soccer stadium

Work has begun on a $6.5 million soccer stadium adjacent to The Bank of Kentucky Center, ending a 10-year period of Norse soccer playing off campus in Wilder, Ky.

Plans for the facility include seating for 1,000 spectators and an artificial playing surface that will contain a fully lighted, World Cup-style 120-yard by 80-yard competition field. Other amenities include concessions and restroom facilities, coaches’ offices and four team locker rooms plus officials’ dressing rooms, full athletic training facilities, laundry, equipment storage, and a press box and media work area to facilitate radio and television broadcasts.

The stadium will also include the “Founders’ Suite,” a 1,000 square-foot luxury box that includes a walkout deck that overlooks the field and will provide exceptional amenities for spectators to the game as well as meeting space on non-game days.

Soccer alumni: Kickin’ it old school

“I feel very good about this decision and the time was right, but I have loved working at NKU,” Meier Soccer sets sights on GLVC NKU senior Braden Bishop is looking forward to the fall soccer season and hopes to return to NCAA tournament action as the team did last fall. The team has added six players to the squad as it returned to action in August.

NKU soccer players recently returned to campus to take on the current NKU women’s varsity team. The group had so much fun that they held another game in August. For more information, call the NKU athletics office at (859) 572-5193. Alumni team players were: Andrea Allen, Eva (Broeg) Crone, Nikki (Hemsath) Ives, Jayme Light, Jeanna (Martin) Linenkugel, Amy Martini, Megan (Zalla) Melton, Jennifer (Wilhelm) Moeller, Kendra (Zinzer) Mossburger, Kristen Noakes, Kelly Oberschlake, Sara Raaker, Lisa (Geiman) Resing, Tricia Ruark, Robin Schwalbach, Robyn Withers.

Click to see a photo gallery of the alumni soccer game.

Softball

The awards continue to roll in for the Northern Kentucky University softball team, as Jessica Farris was selected to the Daktronics Division II All-Midwest Region first team, while Ashley Gates garnered second-team honors. The All-Midwest team is voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America.