Between Two Desks with Ann Pierson

Welcome to Between Two Desks, an interview series where St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner Dr. Dick Kaiser talks with Athletic Directors from around the league. Throughout the series get to learn more about each school's A.D., how they got to the position they are in, and why they love working in athletics. Today we meet Ann Pierson, Athletic Director at Principia College.

Ann Pierson has witnessed first-hand the evolution of women's intercollegiate athletics not only as an All-American athlete but also as a young female coach trying to establish herself in a once primarily dominated man's world. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ann in an extended interview and these are some excerpts from that discussion.

How long have you been at Principia College?
I have been at Principia on two separate occasions. First, I served as the head track and field coach at Principia College from 1996 through 2006. After 10 years in Elsah, I then moved back to Princeton to coach women's track and field. About two years ago I received the opportunity to return to Principia in 2018 as an assistant track coach and was fortunate to later become the Athletic Director in 2019.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Chester, New Jersey and much of my family still lives in that area. I was born in State College, Pennsylvania (Penn State) where my dad was doing research. New Jersey will always probably be 'home to me' in some manner since I have so much family back there.

Did you participate in sports in high school?
I attended West Morris Central High School and I was as active as any female could be at that time in the late '70s within high school female athletics. I played field hockey for all my years in high school as it was the only fall sport available to females at the time. It was not my favorite because of the constant stopping and starting of the game, but again it's all that was available. I also played basketball and I was able to excel in the sport. I was one of the very few female basketball players in high school that could dunk a basketball at that time. My third sport in high school was track and field and that is where I had much of my success; as a high jumper and long jumper. The track team track, as a whole, and I was able to win state championships and I was fortunate to set many school records that are either still standing or stood for a long time in a couple of different sports while earning a total of 12 varsity letters during my high school career. 

Where did you attend college and did you participate in college athletics?
I was a recruited student-athlete in the sports of basketball and track and field at the University of Virginia and graduated in 1983. I chose Virginia because it was one of the few institutions that were recruiting me that would allow me to participate in both sports in college. After playing both sports for two years, I went solely as a track and field athlete for my final two years. I had some success and I was fortunate to win a national NCAA indoor high jump title in 1981 and place second in the outdoor championship two separate times which allowed me to be an NCAA All-American. My success at the collegiate level in track and field got me invited to attend the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for high-level training in the high jump and also provided me exposure to some tremendous individuals and athletes.

What convinced you to go into athletics as a profession?
Being in athletics wasn't anything I planned as an occupation. I came from a very athletic family and my older brother was very good. The late '70s and early '80s occurred during the time of significant change in the world of intercollegiate athletics for women. Title IX expectations were growing and colleges had begun to provide more and more athletic opportunities for women. I was offered an athletic scholarship in 1979 and that was right on the cusp of the change from AIAW to NCAA. The AIAW was the first women's athletics governing body up until the NCAA got involved in the mid-1980s. The AIAW gave women many playing and coaching opportunities that were beneficial in the early years of women's collegiate sport that began disappearing when the NCAA got involved. 

Within your resume, where were your most important professional stops along the way that helped you?
There are a couple of people that were very important for me to become the A.D. at Principia. Obviously, my ten years as the head coach of the men's and women's Principia track program beginning in 1996 was groundbreaking. At the time, I was one of only a handful of female head coaches for both the men's and women's track programs in the entire country. Also, I spent 10 years at Princeton as the women's track and field coach in an era when the programs were not combined and equity wasn't something the Tiger athletic administration stressed. I was very fortunate to get very high-level coaching at the Olympic Training Center but just as importantly it is where I became acquainted and became friends with individuals like Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Marion Jones, both Olympic champions. After my competition days concluded, I was able to be invited back to coach at the Olympic Training Center and served as a clinician in the US Track & Field coaching certification program. 

Are there any specific individuals that feel were great mentors that helped you along the way?
One of the impactful individuals in my career has been Dr. Rick McGuire. Rick was working on his Ph.D. in sports psychology at Virginia when I was attending and competing in the early '80s. Rick served as a volunteer coach in track and field and later went on to work at the Olympic Training Center as a sports psychologist as well as the University of Missouri as the track and field coach. He was a driving force in the development of the USTF coaching certification program. A second individual would be my high school track coach, Judy Scherrer. She happens to be one of the winningest coaches in high school athletics in New Jersey and is in the New Jersey Athletic Hall of Fame.

What do you find most rewarding about your current Athletic Director position?
I love being able to impact and interact with the coaches at Principia. This is something I find very rewarding and it is a part of the job I enjoy. It's especially true with young coaches that are just really getting started in the profession. At Principia, I am fortunate that I am still being asked to serve as an assistant coach in the track and field program. This allows me to directly interact and talk to athletes about things like understanding what you can and can't control or that often we just don't give our opponents enough credit for their performances. I love teaching the athletes the finite-minutia parts of increasing their performance that they may have only taken for granted.

Not counting the pandemic, what have you found to be the most taxing as it relates to your position?
Well, I think all administrators can speak to this and that being there are so many meetings that need to be attended. Some of the meetings are very purposeful but at times some are, let's say, a struggle to get through. I think one of my biggest surprises about being an A.D. is just how much time the position requires. And lastly, it is always an everyday task to keep the department and the programs running effectively and efficiently. 

As a coach or administrator, what has been a real highlight in your career?
First, I'd say the experience of working with students that have accomplished or achieved their goals in athletics or life, those opportunities are very special. Secondly, I'd say the relationships I've developed with the individuals I have come in contact with during the many years of coaching and being an athlete. Thirdly, I enjoy coaching and watching the teams succeed. It's interesting, the reason that I am back at Principia is a former student-athlete by the name of Louis Howes, a Principia All-American and Hall of Fame decathlete that I worked with at Principia when I was a head coach. He has an amazing story but overall his success at Principia and then later in life as an entrepreneur has been incredible. He and I have stayed in contact for over 20 years and he encouraged me to come back to Principia and eventually apply for the A.D. position.

What advice would you give to every student-athlete about their college experience?
I would tell the student-athletes to retain a mindset to always smell the roses. I was guilty early on of working so hard and achieving success that I didn't take the time to enjoy the journey and experience the 'what and how' of the process of achievement. I would also encourage them to always pick worthy goals, be realistic, and if you achieve them, then enjoy them, reassess and begin again. I feel you have to put joy in the job, even if it is painful, but know that you can accomplish what you set out to achieve. Finally, I would encourage the athletes to constantly build relationships with their teammates, they will be lifelong friends.

Finally, as we close this Q & A, please tell me about your family.
I am from North Jersey and most of my parents and siblings still live in that area. I love to hike and play tennis so it's no wonder my kids are both tennis players. My daughter, Rachel, was an All-American tennis player and currently lives in Austin, Texas. She coaches for the University of Texas women's tennis program as well as serving as a tennis teaching professional. My son, Matt, is also very accomplished in tennis and was a Junior College All-American. He works with special needs individuals and directs the physical education and after school athletic programs for his employer.

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