ATLANTA (March 9, 2017) — Jean Lenti Ponsetto, the director of athletics at DePaul University, is the 2017 WBCA Administrator of the Year, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
The WBCA Administrator of the Year award is presented annually to an administrator, athletic director, associate or assistant athletic director, or senior woman administrator who has excelled at encouraging the growth and quality of women’s basketball programs and women’s athletic programs overall. The candidate also must have served as a professional role model for student-athletes.
"It is my pleasure to announce Jean Lenti Ponsetto as this year’s WBCA Administrator of the Year," said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. "Jeanne has been a steadfast ally to the WBCA and the sport of women's basketball throughout her career. She is a product of our sport — a former women’s basketball student-athlete at DePaul who has risen to the highest level of leadership in collegiate athletics.
“Most impressive is Jeanne’s commitment to service and the coaching profession. She has served on our WBCA Finance Committee, Defensive Player of the Year Committee, and Rookie Coach of the Year Committee. She also served as chair of our Wade Trophy committee for a decade. Her wise council is valued by our coaches and staff. We are incredibly thankful for Jeanne’s investment of time and service to strengthen the WBCA and propel the sport of women’s basketball."
Ponsetto, who currently serves as chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee, has been a member of the Blue Demons athletic administration for 42 years. Under her leadership, DePaul has added four women's sports — indoor and outdoor track, cross country and women's soccer — to its intercollegiate program. Women’s soccer later became one of the athletic department’s 14 sports to represent DePaul in NCAA tournaments since Ponsetto’s administrative start. Several athletic facilities have also been built under Ponsetto’s leadership, including the Sullivan Athletic Center, the Ray Meyer Fitness Recreation Center and the Cherry Family Indoor Track.
In addition to its success in athletic competition, Ponsetto has managed an impressive academic resume at DePaul with more than 1,000 student-athletes named to the Big East Conference’s academic honor roll. In 2012-13, the women's basketball team ranked second nationally in the WBCA NCAA Division I Academic Top 25.
The WBCA Administrator of the Year award was first presented in 1985. Visit www.wbca.org/recognize/ to see a list of past recipients.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.
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