Thiel’s Leipheimer to retire at end of year

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GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – Thiel College Director of Athletics Jack Leipheimer ’74 has announced his retirement, effective at the end of December 2015, after a 14-year career at the College. Currently the College's Associate Director of Athletics, Amy Schafer, M.S., will succeed Leipheimer as the Director of Athletics in January 2016.

Leipheimer took over as Thiel's head football coach in January 2001. He and his staff went on to take the Tomcats to national prominence. After winning the 2005 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship with a perfect 10-0 record, Leipheimer's Tomcats became the first team in school history to qualify for the NCAA Division III playoffs and win an NCAA Division III playoff game on campus. Leipheimer coached the Tomcats for eight seasons and compiled 36 wins, tying him for the third most in program history.

Leipheimer was named Thiel's Director of Athletics in November 2008. The Cabinet-level position included day-to-day operation of the Department of Athletics, including oversight of the College's 17 NCAA Division III sports, competitive cheer & dance teams and other pertinent athletics endeavors.

During Leipheimer's tenure as the Director of Athletics, the College added six NCAA Division III sports programs, including: men's and women's tennis, men's and women's lacrosse, men's volleyball and women's bowling. Today, the Department of Athletics includes 23 NCAA Division III sports, more than 30 coaches and staff members and more than four hundred student-athletes.

Leipheimer was instrumental in several athletics facility improvements, including: new turf and competition-level lighting at Alumni Stadium, multiple improvements to Beeghly Gymnasium, including: a state-of-the art athletic training room, the addition of the Rissell-Schreyer Dome, an air-supported structure which covers Alumni Stadium during winter months, and most recently the College broke ground on a track & field facility, located at Tomcat Park.

Leipheimer also played a role in the College's athletics fundraising endeavors. In 2015, Thiel College became the first institution in the PAC to endow a coaching position, the Rod E. Wilt ’86 Head Coach for Thiel College Wrestling.

In 2014, Leipheimer was appointed to the NCAA Division III Football Committee. Comprised of eight members, the committee monitors all Division III teams during the regular season and identifies teams deserving of consideration for the national championship playoff bracket.

A four-year letter winner and three-year starter at tight end of the Tomcats, Leipheimer earned All-PAC accolades in 1973. He was also a member of the 1972 team that won the College's second PAC title.

Though he will officially retire in December 2015, Leipheimer will continue in a part-time role in College Advancement with a focus on athletics fundraising.
 
"I am honored to have come back to my alma mater and made a positive contribution to the College," Leipheimer said. "Along the way, I was fortunate to work alongside talented and dedicated colleagues and coaches, as well as thousands of quality student-athletes. I am also humbled that President VanAken asked me to stay on in a part-time role focusing on athletics fundraising, and I look forward to continuing in that capacity."

"Leipheimer's personal philosophy has always remained the same – reach your full potential. It's a mantra he instilled in coaches and students, as he urged them to pursue excellence in all areas of their lives," Thiel College President Troy D. VanAken, Ph.D., said. "He has always stressed the importance of academic and athletic success to Thiel College's student-athletes. His tenure has included many milestones, and I'm looking forward to his continued dedication to Thiel College in this new role."

Schafer is entering her 11th year at Thiel. She was named the Associate Director of Athletics in 2014. Schafer was one of just 12 individuals selected for the 2014 NCAA Pathway Program, which exists to assist administrators who wish to become directors of athletics through education, training and mentoring.

In 2012, Schafer was named Thiel's Compliance & Eligibility Director, Assistant Director of Athletics and the chair of the Health & Physical Education Department. In 2009, she was selected as the Department of Athletics Senior Woman Administrator.

Schafer arrived at Thiel in 2005 as the head softball coach. She has served on various on- and off-campus committees, including: Division III Softball Regional Advisory Committee, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Committee and the Thiel's NCAA Grant Writing Committee.

"I am excited for this opportunity to take over as the Director of Athletics," Schafer said. "I would like to thank President VanAken and Jack Leipheimer for their guidance and support, and I look forward to continuing the success of the Department of Athletics."

A 2003 Bethany College graduate, where she earned a bachelor's degree in physical education, Schafer earned a master's degree in sport management studies from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009.

Schafer was an NCAA Division III All-American catcher in 2002 while earning First Team All-Region accolades three times (2001-03). She was also a three-time All-PAC First Team pick (2001-03). In 2002, the Bethany Bison compiled a 32-10 record and won the PAC championship. The Bison earned their second-ever bid in the NCAA Tournament, won the Central Region and advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series for the first time in the history of the softball program. Schafer was honored as a member of the NFCA All-Academic Team in 2002 and was named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll in 2001 and 2002.

Story contributed by Thiel's sports information office