Marywood's Dr. Mary Jo Gunning Announced First-Ever Distinguished Service Honoree
LANCASTER, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference announced the inaugural Distinguished Service Award on Thursday afternoon, naming Marywood University's Director of Athletics and Recreation,
Dr. Mary Jo Gunning, the first recipient.
Dr. Gunning, who was just inducted into the Marywood Athletic Hall of Fame this year, announced her retirement, effective the summer of 2019, earlier this year.
From 1992 through the end of the 2017-18 academic year, Marywood athletics was a charter member of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC - formerly known as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference). Dr. Gunning was one of the founding members when the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference was formed in 1992.
More recently, Dr. Gunning led the Pacers in the transition to the Atlantic East Conference. She was also instrumental in Marywood becoming members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in 2010, providing Marywood teams more post-season playoff opportunities.
Through the 2017-18 academic year, Marywood teams captured 40 CSAC/PAC championships and earned 45 runner-up finishes. In addition, women's golf won the inaugural Landmark Conference Championship in 2018, bringing the Pacers total of conference titles to 41. Women's Soccer won the ECAC South Region Championship in 2010, the school's only post-season tournament championship.
Inclusive of Marywood's post-season performances within the Atlantic East in 2018-19, Marywood now has 46 conference championships and 51 runner-up finishes. The Pacers also have one ECAC post-season title (Women's Soccer, 2010) as well as five team runner-up finishes. The Track & Field programs have produced six ECAC indoor champions as well four outdoor champions.
Marywood University earned the first-ever
Atlantic East Conference Women's Commissioner's Award as the Pacers were the top achieving institution in the 11 women's athletics programs offered by the conference in its first competitive season. The Pacers won three Championships in women's sports (Women's Cross Country, Women's Soccer, Women's Track & Field) and finished as runner-up in Women's Lacrosse and Women's Golf. Marywood finished as runner-ups for the Mike Drass Trophy and a three-way tie for third place in the Men's Commissioner's Award. The men brought home two Championships in 2018-19, with Men's Cross Country and Men's Track & Field claiming trophies while Men's Golf finished as conference runner-up.
In 2010-11, for the first time in athletics program history, Marywood earned all three CSAC President's Cups, sweeping the competition for the Overall, Men's and Women's Awards. The President's Cup is awarded annually by the conference to the Men's, Women's and Overall athletics programs with the highest competitive percentage rating, based on championship finish and regular season play. That academic year, the Pacers took home the conference championships in men's tennis and women's cross country while finishing runner-up in women's lacrosse, men's lacrosse, men's cross country and men's soccer. Marywood won the Women's President's Cup again in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2016-17, and finished second overall in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Through the 2018-19 academic year, 1,469 Marywood student-athletes have earned All-Conference (PAC/CSAC/Landmark/Atlantic East) honors, including 477 First Team, 472 Second Team, 15 Third Team (Track & Field only from 2015-2018), 331 Honorable Mention and 217 All-Sportsmanship selections. Twenty eight (28) athletes have been recognized as the Player of the Year for their respective sport while another 17 have been named the Conference Rookie of the Year. Two student-athletes (one male, one female) have been named the ECAC Player of the Year while one female earned ECAC Rookie of the Year honors. In all, 35 student-athletes have been named to All-ECAC teams.
Eleven (11) Cross Country runners (four male, seven female) have won the individual championship and three golfers (three male) have won medalist honors as the top finisher at the Conference Championships. 56 athletes have been lauded as Regional All-Americans while 10 athletes have earned National All-American status. Pacers' coaches have also been awarded Conference Coach of the Year honors an impressive 61 times.
Equally important to Dr. Gunning is all of the academic honors Pacer student-athletes received during her tenure. Her leadership resulted in nearly 2,900 Marywood athletes have earned All-Conference Academic Honor Roll status (minimum 3.2 GPA), three athletes have earned CoSIDA National Academic All-American status, 15 athletes have earned CoSIDA Regional Academic All-American status, seven athletes (three male, four female) have been named the Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Year and three more (one male, two female) have earned NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. Various coaches' organizations have recognized 152 athletes as National Academic Honorees and another nine athletes as Regional Academic honorees. Marywood also earned the CSAC Institutional Excellence Award in 2014-15 and 2015-16 for having the highest GPA as an athletic department across the Conference and has had 24 teams earn Conference Team Academic Awards (highest GPA per competing sport) between the CSAC and Atlantic East since the award was introduced in 2013.
Gunning has also overseen a massive expansion of Marywood's athletic facilities during her tenure. The $14 million Center for Athletics and Wellness offers state-of-the-art fitness, recreation, and athletic opportunities and includes a premier fitness center, a climbing wall, an elevated running track, a dance/aerobic studio, an arena to showcase Pacer Sports, and high tech athletic training areas. Outdoor athletic facilities include six tennis courts, a sand volleyball court and basketball courts. The baseball and softball fields are some of the finest in the region and the multipurpose natural grass field has undergone a major renovation which includes laser-leveling, an irrigation system and new grass mixture. The lit synthetic turf facility received new turf in the summer of 2017 and is utilized by many outdoor sports, as well as recreation programs. A $5 million plus Aquatic Center opened in May 2011. It is an eight-lane facility with 3- and 1-meter boards, inclusive of team rooms, a safety center and spectator area.
Prior to taking over her current position, Dr. Gunning was active in Marywood athletics as an intern in conjunction with the University of Scranton, assisting with athletic administration in addition to aiding the revision of the Health and Physical Education curriculum. She has also served as a graduate assistant in Physical Education at Temple University and as the Recreation Director and Activities Assistant at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, as well as an Exercise Physiologist at Warminster General Hospital in Warminster, Pa.
An active leader in both her profession and community, Dr. Gunning's memberships include, among others, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors, and the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators. Formerly the president of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, Gunning has previously served on numerous NCAA Division-wide and Division III committees, including, among others, with leadership roles on the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, the Division III Management Council, the Division III Infractions Committee and the Division III Legislative Committee.
Dr. Gunning earned a B.A. in Health and Physical Education from Marywood in 1979, and obtained her M.A. in Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine from the University of Maryland in 1981. In 1991, Dr. Gunning completed her Ed.D. in Sports Administration at Temple University. She was named Temple University's Administrator/Alumni of the Year in 2007 by its School of Sports Administration and Hospitality.
Information provide by Marywood Athletic Communications