Rutgers-Camden Assistant AD Barney earns
NACWAA’s  Sweet Commitment Award

CAMDEN (Feb. 29, 2008) – Rutgers University-Camden Assistant Director of Athletics Erin Barney has been honored by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) as a recipient of the 2008 Judith M. Sweet Commitment Award.

Barney is one of only six winners nationally who were recognized for providing outstanding leadership and commitment to colleagues and student-athletes in intercollegiate athletics. The other winners include Lori Hays (Boise State University), Michelle Roppeau (University of California, Davis), Cindi Nagai (University of Denver), Ann Martin (Regis University) and Staci Schottman (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics).

The Judith M. Sweet Commitment Award is presented annually to recognize athletics administrators who are committed to providing “outstanding leadership and commitment to colleagues and student-athletes in  intercollegiate athletics,” according to the NACWAA.

“I’m thrilled that she was selected for the award,” said Rutgers-Camden Director of Athletics Jeff Dean. “I know she’s not the type that wants the credit and being in the spotlight, but I felt it was important to nominate her for what she does for the student-athletes. She does it not just because it’s her job, but because she truly cares about the student-athletes and their well-being.”

Barney’s rapport with Rutgers-Camden’s student-athletes is what makes the award so special.

“I am honored to be chosen for this award,” she said. “It means a lot to me because our student-athletes mean a lot to me.”

Barney, who was hired as the school’s Assistant Director of Athletics during the fall semester of 2005, has a wide range of duties, including athletic compliance, scheduling, marketing and working as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) advisor. She came to Rutgers-Camden after three years as a high school Health and Physical Education Teacher at Girard College in Philadelphia. She also served as an assistant softball and soccer coach and a middle school basketball coach during that time, in addition to her role as the Senior Advisor and chair of the Student Life and Activities committee.

From 2001-2002, she also served as an assistant softball coach at Drexel University and as a manager at Life Sports Fitness in Philadelphia.
Barney played four years as a center fielder with the University of Vermont softball team, where she ranks on the Catamounts’ career and single-season lists in numerous categories. She served as one of Vermont’s captains during the 2000 and 2001 season. She also was a member of the Physical Education Majors Club at Vermont from 1997-2001.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Vermont in 2001 and added her Master of Sport and Athletic Administration from West Chester University in 2005. While working toward her Master’s, she served as an intern to the athletic director at Rowan University, assisting in the budgeting process, scheduling and various other operations in the athletic department.

The national honor is named for Sweet, a former NACWAA president, who served as the Director of Athletics at the University of California at San Diego for 24 years. She also served as the NCAA’s first female president in 1991. After retiring from UC-San Diego, she was selected as the first female Senior Vice President and Senior Woman Administrator at the NCAA.