Polizzi Leads the Sea Gulls

Polizzi is the first woman to hold the position of director of athletics and campus recreation at Salisbury University.

From the softball field to the administrator’s office, Monica Gordy Polizzi has been a force in NCAA athletics for more than 20 years. She brings those decades of experience to Salisbury University as the newest director of athletics and campus recreation – the first woman to hold the position.

Polizzi comes to SU from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC, where she served as senior associate athletic director of internal operations. Prior to that, she spent 11 years at Mars Hill University (NC), including eight as head softball coach and three as assistant director of athletics.

“Salisbury University is an athletics powerhouse, and it takes a strong leader to continue to guide our teams and students to success,” said SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre. “With more than two decades as a coach, administrator and student-athlete at the collegiate level, Monica fits that description and then some.”

“I am excited to lead the Sea Gulls, and I’m eager to work with so many talented and successful coaches and staff,” said Polizzi, a Salisbury native. “Growing up near the University, I had the opportunity to experience the enthusiasm around some of the program’s earliest team championships in the 1990s. I can’t wait to play a part in that legacy …”

Polizzi currently chairs the NCAA National Committee for Division II football – the first woman to hold that position, as well – and serves on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for the sport. Professionally, Polizzi was one of only 24 women from all NCAA divisions selected to participate in the NCAA’s 2020 Lessons in Management workshop. She also was selected as one of eight mentees to participate in the 2022 Division II Athletic Directors Association Women and Minorities Mentorship program, offered through the Division II Athletic Directors Association and NCAA, and has served as a delegate at multiple NCAA conventions.