Cleveland, OH - The Hunter College Athletics Department proudly announces that its Director of Athletics Recreation, Terry Wansart, has received the prestigious Richard A. Rasmussen Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA). This honor, presented at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention, recognizes individuals who have significantly impacted Division III athletics throughout their careers.
Wansart shares this accolade with Donna Ledwin, Commissioner of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, marking them as the third and fourth female recipients since the award's inception. The award, named after former NADIIIAA Executive Director Richard Rasmussen, highlights their outstanding contributions to NCAA Division III athletics.
As the longest-serving member of Hunter College's athletic department and the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC), Wansart has been its first and only female Director of Athletics, Recreation, and Intramurals in the college's history. Under her leadership, the Hawks have become the most successful program in the CUNYAC, securing 184 conference championship titles and 13 Commissioner's Cups, alongside numerous individual champions. She began her athletic career benefiting from the early Title IX battles and continued to defy the odds throughout her journey in athletic administration, starting at a time when only 3% of collegiate athletic directors were female. Today, women make up less than 25% of athletic directors across the NCAA. As a trailblazer, she remains steadfast in her support of the 'Educational Athletic Model,' dedicated to providing opportunity and access for all.
"Terry Wansart has served Hunter College's student-athletes with a deep dedication to their athletic, academic, and personal achievement for decades. Terry has led Hunter College's teams to sweeping victories at CUNY Conferences over the years and distinguished herself as a fierce advocate for student-athletes' success and well-being. Recognized among her peers as a font of knowledge and experience, Terry has developed and implemented student support programs that hone student-athletes' athletic and life skills. Terry and her staff support student-athletes in achieving excellence on the courts and in the classrooms. On behalf of Hunter College's Leadership, I congratulate Terry on her recent Lifetime Achievement award bestowed upon her by NADIIIAA this past Spring," says Eija Ayravainen, Vice President of Student Affairs at Hunter College.
In 2013, Wansart was elected to the NCAA Division III Management Council by her peers nationwide. In that role, she helped shape policy, introduced contemporary initiatives, and developed the future of athletics in higher education. She served on the Financial Aid Committee, the Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee, and the Academic Issues Subcommittee, advocating for the mission and challenges of urban/public education institutions on the national athletic stage.
"Terry embodies the Division III philosophy – she has successfully led the Hunter athletics department to achieve high levels of success while simultaneously staying focused on the broad-based value of the student-athlete experience. She also has provided leadership, especially as a proponent of gender equity, beyond Hunter as a member of several NCAA, regional, and conference committees. She is so deserving of this national recognition," says Louise McCleary, Vice President of Division III at the NCAA.
Wansart began her career at Hunter in 1982 as Assistant Athletic Director. Over the next 11 years, she coached the women's volleyball team to 339 wins, four Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships, nine CUNYAC titles, and nine bids to the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) tournament. Her tenure with the softball and women's basketball teams was equally impressive, with notable victories and championships in both sports. Additionally, she was named Coach of the Year by the CUNYAC in both basketball (1989) and softball (1985, 1987).
"Throughout Terry's illustrious career, she has exemplified the highest standards of professionalism, ingenuity, and creativity. Her work has not only inspired countless student-athletes, staff, alumni, and colleagues to reach for their own dreams, but more importantly, her impact has been profound and far-reaching over the span of her career. In the athletics industry and within the landscape of higher education, she is, and continues to be, a mentor, trailblazer, pioneer, trusted colleague, and friend to all of us in CUNY/CUNYAC and beyond. For all her efforts over the years, I am honored to say she too has 'coached me up' on more than one occasion and made me a better athletic director because of her knowledge and wisdom. She is most deserving of this honorable award," says Heather MacCulloch, Director of Athletics and Recreation at Baruch College.
Nationally, Wansart has been an active participant in numerous NCAA, ECAC, NYSWCAA, and NACWAA panels, workshops, and seminars. In July 2006, she was one of 15 professionals nationwide selected for the prestigious NACWAA Institute for Athletics Executives. She has also been the first person to simultaneously serve as president of the CUNYAC, NYSWCAA, and Skyline Conference.
In addition to her administrative roles, Wansart is a certified Athletic Trainer by the National Athletic Trainers Association and has been an adjunct professor for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education with a minor in Athletic Training from East Stroudsburg University, where she competed nationally in women's volleyball, and a Master's degree in Physical Education/Athletic Administration from Hunter College.
Wansart has also earned a plethora of additional honors throughout her career, including the CUNYAC Appreciation Award (2019), Metropolitan Basketball Writers Service Awards (2017), HEO Award (2015), NYSWCAA Service Award (2004), and was inducted into the Windsor High School Knights of Distinction Hall of Fame in 2018 for her All-American status in both volleyball and basketball in 1977. She has touched the lives of many student-athletes and colleagues alike.
"Congratulations to Terry Wansart on winning this lifetime achievement award. It is well deserved. It was a privilege to have Terry as a coach and a mentor. I have seen how her hard work and dedication have made a lasting impact not only on the success of her teams and players she has coached but on the entire athletic community at Hunter. At Hunter, she fostered an environment that made everyone strive to be better, not only as an athlete but more importantly as a person. Her values of discipline, perseverance, and teamwork have inspired me and other athletes to give 100%, not only in practice and games but in life. Terry continues to be a source of inspiration and guidance to me. Unknowingly, my current athletes benefit from the values she has instilled in me," says Ellen Fox, alumna and Health and Physical Education Department Chair for Hunter College High School.
Wansart's dedication and leadership have left an indelible mark on Hunter College's athletics program and the broader NCAA Division III community, making her a distinguished recipient of the Richard A. Rasmussen Lifetime Achievement Award.
Courtesy of Hunter College Sports Information