Dr. Sue Willey enters her 17th and final year as Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in 2019-20, having announced her retirement at the end of the academic year. The 2012-13 Under Armour Division II Athletic Director of the Year, 2010 Under Armour Division II Central Region Athletic Director of the Year and 2005 NACWAA Division II Administrator of the Year has guided the Greyhounds to uncharted territory in her time at the helm. Having spent 45 years at the university, Dr. Willey has established UIndy as one of the top overall athletic programs in NCAA Division II. In her tenure, the Greyhounds have become regular qualifiers for NCAA postseason play and a consistent threat for conference, regional and national championships.
Most recently, the Greyhounds finished fifth in the 2018-19 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, notching the program's 13th consecutive top-20 showing in the prestigious standings and seventh top-10 in the last eight seasons. UIndy is one of only three DII athletics programs in the country with such a lengthy top-20 streak.
The 2018-19 academic year proved to be one of the most successful in school history. The Greyhounds combined to win a league-record nine GLVC championships -- part of a program-best 10 conference titles overall. Meanwhile, the women's golf, men's lacrosse and women's tennis programs all notched national semifinal appearances, while the men's swimming & diving team earned its second consecutive third-place finish at Nationals.
The UIndy student-athletes got it done in the classroom, too. A league-high five student-athletes were named GLVC Scholar-Athletes of the Year in their respective sport in 2018-19. UIndy has paced the conference in that metric in eight of the past 11 seasons and has the most all-time honorees of any school. Additionally, the Greyhounds garnered seven Academic All-America honors in '18-19, bringing their total to 96 all-time -- ninth-most of any Division II school.
Also under Dr. Willey's leadership, the 2015 women's golf program delivered the athletic department's first-ever team NCAA national championship.The team followed that up with a second national title in 2018.
The 2014-15 season saw the addition of two brand new athletic programs. UIndy added men's and women's lacrosse, bringing the total number of varsity sports up to 23. The new teams began competing in the spring of 2016.
The athletic department's facilities have undergone some major renovations in Dr. Willey's tenure. The biggest upgrade was completed early in 2011, with a brand new indoor facility. The Athletics & Recreation Center (ARC) will provide much-needed space for sports teams as well as fitness facilities for the entire campus community. The 90,000-square-foot facility includes office space and a training room for the athletics program; a planned indoor track; and locker rooms for football, soccer, baseball, softball and track. The National Football League used the venue for the 2012 Super Bowl as the New York Giants held practices there in preparation to defeat the New England Patriots in the big game. The project also included a new Baumgartner Field at Greyhound Park for softball at the corner of State and National Streets.
Prior to the 2015-16 seasons, new playing surfaces were added in both Nicoson Hall and Key Stadium. The new Skillman Court in Nicoson Hall features a sleek two-tone design, complete with UIndy "Flying I" logo at center court. Out in Key Stadium brand new turf was installed, featuring playing lines for the newly-added men's and women's lacrosse programs.
Previous projects included the installation of SprinTurf prior to the 2004 season at Key Stadium in an effort to get the soccer teams back on campus and lights were added to the facility in 2005 providing the ability to play in front of energized night crowds for football and soccer games.
The area of personnel has also seen significant change under Willey’s leadership. In 2002-03 there were 10 part-time head coaches and currently there are zero. A number of additional full-time athletic trainers have been added to provide quality certified training care for our growing number of student-athletes (in 2002-03 there were 419 student-athletes, and in 2019-20 there are nearly 700). A wonderful addition to the UIndy athletics programs is the daily access each sport has to exceptional sport-specific training. These services are provided in large part to the tremendous partnership with IU Health and Methodist Sports Medicine and later Community Health.
Dr. Willey was selected as the 2005 Division II Administrator of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Woman Athletic Administrators (NACWAA). Dr. Willey was also selected as the 2004 "Pathfinder Award Winner" presented in recognition of her strong commitment to provide quality sport and leadership opportunities for girls and women in the state of Indiana. Dr. Willey served a four-year (2006-10) term on both the NACWAA Executive Board and the DII Nominating Committee and is currently serving a four-year stint on the NCAA Division II Membership Committee that started in September 2010. She is also a graduate of the NACWAA Institute for Athletic Executives.
From 2002-2006, Dr. Willey served on the highest NCAA Committee available to athletic administrators-the NCAA Division II Management Council and also served as chair of the Council in 2004. Her Management Council assignments included the DII Budget and Finance Committee, Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, Management Council Identity Subcommittee, Championships Regionalization Task Force, Project Team to Review Issues Related to Diversity and the Championships Eligibility Project Team. Â
Dr. Willey is a frequent guest speaker for various groups. Her past engagements include speaking at the NCAA Football Coaches Academy, GLVC Aspire Summit, NCAA Conference Interns Seminar, Gender Equity and Issues Forum, NCAA and NACWAA National Conventions, NACWAA/HERS Institute for Administrative Advancement, Women's Leadership Symposium, and the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males.
A 1993 inductee into the UIndy Athletic Hall of Fame, Dr. Willey earned an incredible 19 letters and 11 MVP awards in her four-year career. She was the "Female Athlete of the Year" from 1972-75. She began her coaching career at her alma mater after graduating cum laude from UIndy in 1975. The versatile Willey coached 23 years at UIndy, directing 43 different teams in five sports. She was the GLVC Softball Coach of the Year in 1989, and her softball teams earned national academic honors in 1996 and 1997.
Dr. Willey's responsibilities as director of athletics include participation on several important campus committees. She was the first female to serve on the President's Cabinet, and is a member of the Enrollment Management Committee as well as the Financial Aid and Policies Committee. Dr. Willey is an associate professor of health and physical education at UIndy and has taught in the Department of Kinesiology for nearly three decades, with a special teaching interest in sport ethics. Dr. Willey holds a master's degree and a doctorate from Indiana University.
