Monica Gordy Polizzi enters her fourth year as the Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation at Salisbury University in 2026. She leads a department that oversees 23 highly successful NCAA Division III varsity programs, along with robust club sports and recreation opportunities.
In her tenure thus far, Polizzi has led major efforts in facility projects, including the September 2025 opening of a renovated and state of the art sports performance facility. She has also led projects to update facilities in the Maggs Physical Activities Center, including a major court re-design in Summer 2025.
Polizzi has been instrumental in engaging the Salisbury community. Under her leadership, Salisbury University Athletics boasts back-to-back NCAA Service Awards with the department completing over 7,000 service hours in 2023-24, and over 9,400 service hours in 2024-25. With the efforts to engage the community and partner on a number of events, Polizzi and Salisbury Athletics were named Wicomico County Tourism’s Partner of the Year in 2024.
Polizzi came to Salisbury from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., where she served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations. In that role, she oversaw six intercollegiate sports, managed a multi-million-dollar athletics budget, and played a key role in hiring coaches and staff. Previously, she spent 11 years at Mars Hill University (N.C.), including eight as head softball coach and three as Assistant Director of Athletics.
Her coaching career began at Louisburg College (N.C.), where she served as head softball coach from 2008-11, following assistant and graduate assistant positions at Upper Iowa University and Wayne State College (Neb.). Across her coaching career, she guided student-athletes to numerous accolades, including All-America recognition, South Atlantic Conference (SAC) honors, SAC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, NCAA Region X Player of the Year, and multiple All-Region selections.
Nationally, Polizzi has earned distinction as the first woman to chair the NCAA National Committee for Division II football. She also serves on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for football and has previously contributed to the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for Division II softball, along with several SAC committees.
Polizzi’s professional development includes being one of just 24 women nationwide selected for the NCAA’s 2020 Lessons in Management workshop. She was also chosen as one of eight mentees in the 2022 Division II Athletic Directors Association Women and Minorities Mentorship Program, and has represented institutions as a delegate at multiple NCAA conventions. In addition, she has attended the Women Leaders in College Sports national convention and will participate in its executive institute for senior administrators this summer.
A native of Salisbury, Polizzi was a four-year softball starter and team captain at the Florida Institute of Technology, where she earned her B.A. in psychology. A 2000 graduate of Parkside High School, she helped lead the Rams to four postseason appearances, including a trip to the Maryland state finals.
