Kirschner Named USCAA Athletic Director of the Year
July 7, 2011
Monaca, PA - Andy Kirschner of New Brighton recently scored the biggest win of his career.
Mr. Kirschner, athletic director at Penn State Beaver, was named Athletic Director of the Year at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association's national convention June 12-15 in Norfolk, Va.
Mr. Kirschner was selected among athletic directors of the 75 colleges that make up the association.
He said the honor took him completely by surprise when his name was announced during the opening ceremonies.
"I never really expected it," he said. "I hate to say it, but I was only half paying attention and when they said my name, I just kind of looked up. I was definitely very surprised."
The USCAA is a national organization that provides athletic competition on a regional and national level with a focus on smaller institutions of higher learning and their student athletes.
Mr. Kirschner was recognized by the USCAA for his contributions to college athletics, including serving as tournament director for the USCAA National Softball Championships and co-chairman of the men's Division I USCAA Basketball National Championships.
At the convention, he was also appointed to the USCAA board of directors, a position he will hold for the next four years.
"It's an honor to be able to be one of eight people who sit on the board and get to really drive where the association heads," he said.
It was a circuitous route that led Mr. Kirschner, 35, to be named athletic director at Penn State Beaver in 2003.
Upon graduating with a degree in elementary education from Edinboro University in 2000, Mr. Kirschner said he wanted to return to the area and get into coaching, so he applied for the position of assistant basketball coach at Penn State Beaver.
After being told the position had been filled, he offered to work for free.
"I told the head coach I just want the experience and I'm not really looking for money," he said. "He told me that if that was the case, then I'm in."
After volunteering his time for a month, the position reopened and Mr. Kirschner was hired. A year later, he was asked to serve as interim assistant athletic director and soon after assumed the position full time.
He held the position until 2003 when he was offered the position of athletic director.
"I had the inside track and knew how the policies and procedures worked," he said. "It's a combination of right place, right time as well as some hard work."
Mr. Kirschner is also the head coach of the Lady Lions softball team, which finished 29-20 for the 2010 season and finished second in the Penn State University Athletic Conference tournament while splitting the regular season crown.
He ended the 2010 season with a career record of 154-143. The softball team qualified for the USCAA National Tournament and finished seventh in the eight-team tournament.
To top off a successful season, Mr. Kirschner was named 2011 Coach of the Year for the Penn State University Athletic Conference.
Coaching a winning team is rewarding, Mr. Kirschner said, but what he enjoys most about his job is the daily interaction with the students.
"That's one of the things I like about working at a smaller college," he said. "When you get into a big athletic department, you don't get the day-to-day contact with the student athletes."
