Andrea Ricketts-Preston Named Mount Holyoke Director of Athletics
January 11, 2024
Portions of release courtesy Mount Holyoke Media Relations
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Mount Holyoke College has announced the appointment of Andrea Ricketts-Preston as its director of athletics and chair of physical education. Ricketts-Preston previously served as the senior associate director of athletics at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland.
Ricketts-Preston brings over 15 years of experience in coaching, administration, NCAA compliance and equity and inclusion. She will begin her duties remotely on February 1, 2024, and will transition to being on campus full time in May.
"I'm excited to take on this new role at Mount Holyoke and know my time at Goucher has prepared me well for this next step. I have truly enjoyed my time at Goucher and am grateful to all the student-athletes, colleagues in and out of athletics, and campus leadership for making this such a special place. I'll continue to cheer on the Gophers from afar," said Ricketts-Preston. "I'd also like to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr. Andrew Wu and Dr Aarika. Camp for all of their support and providing so many opportunities to grow professionally."
"I'm honored and humbled to be selected as the next director of athletics and chair of physical education at Mount Holyoke College. I look forward to working with the athletic department's team of coaches and the Division of Student Life to build a strong foundation of success and support for our student-athletes as they challenge themselves to excel academically, athletically and personally.
"I couldn't be happier for Andrea as she steps into this new role," said Goucher Director of Athletics Dr. Andrew Wu. "Andrea has always been a born athletic director and I'm grateful that Goucher was lucky enough to benefit from her work and collegiality for several years. Congratulations to Mount Holyoke for a fantastic addition to their community.
Ricketts-Preston joined Goucher College in 2017 as the women's basketball coach. She was then promoted to senior woman administrator and associate director of athletics in 2019.
At Goucher, Ricketts-Preston managed NCAA compliance and held sport supervision responsibilities for select sports. Ricketts-Preston assessed and evaluated gender and diversity, equity and inclusion issues. Additionally, she oversaw the Goucher's indoor athletics facilities.
Before joining Goucher, Ricketts-Preston was an assistant coach at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to that, she served as the head women's basketball coach at both Clarkson University and Hiram College.
"We are so delighted to welcome Andrea to Mount Holyoke College," said Marcella Runell, vice president of Student Life and dean of students. "After conducting a national search with an incredible search committee and working with multiple stakeholders across campus, we are confident that Andrea will be a stellar leader for athletics and physical education."
In 2023 Ricketts-Preston began a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee. The committee reviews requests from the membership, issues official interpretation and recommends legislative changes to the Division III Management Council.
She is a member of the WeCOACH and Women Leaders in College Sports organizations. Ricketts-Preston earned her degree in health and physical education from Luther College and later pursued a master's degree in exercise and sports science with a concentration in sports administration from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.
Mount Holyoke College is a Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) and offers 13 varsity sports.