Iowa State Media Relations
AMES, Iowa – Dr. Calli Sanders, the second-longest serving Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) in Iowa State Athletics Department history, has agreed to continue as ISU’s Senior Associate Athletics Director of Sport Administration and SWA, rather than begin a phased retirement on July 1, Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.
“I am very pleased that Calli has decided to postpone her retirement plans for at least another year and continue in her current role with the Cyclones,” Pollard said. “Calli has been an integral part of our administrative team for more than 20 years and having her stay will provide tremendous continuity within our department as we navigate these challenging times in intercollegiate athletics.”
Only the second individual to hold the SWA position to the Big 12 Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) within the Cyclone Athletics Department, Sanders currently has administrative oversight for 15 of Iowa State’s 18 intercollegiate athletic programs and serves as an ex-officio member of the Iowa State Athletics Council. The teams under Sanders’ supervision have risen to national prominence during her Iowa State tenure while combining to win 17 of ISU’s 31 all-time Big 12 Conference championships. The Cyclone women’s basketball, tennis and volleyball teams have all advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight; the softball team made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021; while the gymnastics, cross country, track & field and both men’s and women’s golf teams have all reached their respective national tournament championship sites under her leadership.
“With all of the changes in our industry and on our campus, I am happy to continue in my current role to help the department and campus that have been so good to me over my 22 years,” Sanders said. “It was humbling to be asked to postpone my plans and now I look forward to putting my time and energy back into Cyclone Athletics for a while longer. We have an amazing leadership team that works so well together; and it makes sense to have some continuity during this transformational time in college athletics.”
AMES, Iowa – Dr. Calli Sanders, the second-longest serving Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) in Iowa State Athletics Department history, has agreed to continue as ISU’s Senior Associate Athletics Director of Sport Administration and SWA, rather than begin a phased retirement on July 1, Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.
“I am very pleased that Calli has decided to postpone her retirement plans for at least another year and continue in her current role with the Cyclones,” Pollard said. “Calli has been an integral part of our administrative team for more than 20 years and having her stay will provide tremendous continuity within our department as we navigate these challenging times in intercollegiate athletics.”
Only the second individual to hold the SWA position to the Big 12 Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) within the Cyclone Athletics Department, Sanders currently has administrative oversight for 15 of Iowa State’s 18 intercollegiate athletic programs and serves as an ex-officio member of the Iowa State Athletics Council. The teams under Sanders’ supervision have risen to national prominence during her Iowa State tenure while combining to win 17 of ISU’s 31 all-time Big 12 Conference championships. The Cyclone women’s basketball, tennis and volleyball teams have all advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight; the softball team made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021; while the gymnastics, cross country, track & field and both men’s and women’s golf teams have all reached their respective national tournament championship sites under her leadership.
“With all of the changes in our industry and on our campus, I am happy to continue in my current role to help the department and campus that have been so good to me over my 22 years,” Sanders said. “It was humbling to be asked to postpone my plans and now I look forward to putting my time and energy back into Cyclone Athletics for a while longer. We have an amazing leadership team that works so well together; and it makes sense to have some continuity during this transformational time in college athletics.”
