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Tina Hill Appointed as New Virginia Wesleyan Athletics Director
Hill will join the Marlins this summer as long-time athletic director Joanne Renn retires
News Release | April 20, 2018
Virginia Wesleyan University has recruited one of the most experienced and respected athletic administrators in the NCAA Division III to serve as its next athletic director, VWU President Scott D. Miller has announced.
Tina Hill, who is currently in her 10th year as athletics director at Randolph College and also chair of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Board of Directors, will join Marlin athletics this summer as Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. She will replace long-time VWU athletics director Joanne Renn, who will retire in June.
“Committed to the excellent tradition of Division III student-athletes on campus and within the ODAC, we welcome Tina as our newest Marlin and an accomplished professional in this significant area of campus life,” President Miller said.
Hill has spent the past 28 years in the field of NCAA Division III athletics. In addition to Randolph, she has worked at Cornell College, California Lutheran University, and Elizabethtown College. As the Randolph College athletics director, she currently coordinates the daily operations and long-term objectives of the school’s 19-sport intercollegiate athletics program.
Prior to Randolph, she served for five years as the director of athletics at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. As the college’s first full-time athletics director, she was responsible for the complete administration of 17 NCAA varsity sports and the intramural program. She served as the associate director of athletics at California Lutheran University from 1997-2002, assisting with the administration of the university’s 15-sport athletics program. She worked at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania from 1990-1997, beginning her career as an intern before eventually serving as the associate director of athletics and as a staff instructor in physical education during her final four years at the college.
Hill received her B.S. in physical education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and her M.S. in sports management from the University of Richmond. As an undergraduate at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, she was a two-time, first-team, all-conference volleyball player and earned academic honors including The Chancellor's Leadership Award and the Outstanding Female Athlete Award.
She is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and has served on various NCAA and conference committees—including a term as the chair of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Committee. She currently serves on the NCAA Division III Financial Aid Committee and as chair of the ODAC Board of Directors.
Hill will succeed Wesleyan’s current athletic director, Joanne Renn, who announced on Thursday her plans to retire. Renn has served for 11 years as VWU’s athletics director and for 25 years total with the Marlins. She played a critical role in the implementation of many important initiatives, including expansion and improvement of institution’s athletic facilities.
Birdsong Field, the Betty S. Rogers Track and Field Center, development of the outdoor athletic complex, upgrades and naming of Kenneth R. Perry Field, a new East Gate campus entrance and the adjoining Marlin Way, and the forthcoming TowneBank Park and Broyles Field were all made possible during Renn’s tenure. She was also was instrumental in the initiation of men’s and women’s swimming, a relationship with Harlaxton College of England, and establishment of the Batten Honors College.
Virginia Wesleyan’s athletic program has seen many successes under Renn’s leadership. During her tenure, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2006 and the following year returned to the championship game; the women's soccer team made it to the final four in 2006 after winning the ODAC tournament for the first time in program history; Evan Cox was the Individual NCAA National Champion for men's golf in 2016; the Virginia Wesleyan softball team won the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2017 with a national record 54 wins; and senior Marissa Coombs is a four-time All-American in cross country and track and field.
“With 22 sports and a distinguished record of academic and athletic achievements by our students, Virginia Wesleyan looks forward, under Tina's leadership, to building on a prominent list of athletic successes and facility improvements in recent years,” said President Miller.