Athletics staff, coaches manage leadership remotely

With Lehigh’s campus closed, many Lehigh sports administrators and coaches are deciding how best to proceed with their duties.

Joe Sterrett, Lehigh’s dean of athletics, said he and the athletic department try to lead by example during this time of uncertainty.

“I think most people would be surprised with how busy we all are, with the first and most important priority to make sure we maintain and sustain the kind of community we built of educators who are dedicated to the learning and growth of students,” Sterrett said. “With everyone working remotely, we have had to invest a fair amount of time into trying to make regular connections for our group to ensure nobody suffers during this isolation they are experiencing.” 

Sterrett said coaches have had to make adjustments in the recruiting process, while trying to engage the prospective student-athletes who have made commitments to matriculate to Lehigh, as a lot of recruiting has already been completed.

He said it is possible the situation presented by the coronavirus could lead students to change their minds, with several hailing from far away geographically. 

Sterrett said coaches are working to maintain team development, exercises, group meetings, the student-athlete leadership group and Student-Athlete council. He also emphasized the need to keep up with alumni relationships, even in a virtual environment.

“We rely a great deal on alumni support,” Sterrett said. “About half of what we spend comes from sources that are not institutional. We need to find a way to maintain key relationships who have been supportive of us… Not asking for money, but just trying to remain connected so that, when we come out of this, our relationships are even stronger. That is a critical part of what we are doing.”

Sterrett said, due to the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak, there will be a big loss in financial support from alumni, including revenue from external events and NCAA revenue sharing.

If the virus continues the way it has been, he said, revenue will be lost from not being able to lease their facilities in the summer.

“We will take a hit in terms of fundraising, understandably, so we are going to have to manage costs really carefully,” Sterrett said. 

Sterrett said he will miss watching the athletes compete most, and he already misses spring sports.

“I’m missing going to Goodman Campus late in the afternoon to watch a softball game or a tennis match or a lacrosse game, so when we are all healthy, we can come strong, and we have the same spirit, providing the same opportunities,” Sterrett said.

In addition to Sterrett, coaches are also having to adjust to virtual life.

Fran Troyan, head coach of the Lehigh softball team, said this has been a difficult time for his team.

“The hardest part was the initial reaction of the team, as we had a group of seniors who are vested in the program and put a lot of work in behind the scenes with leadership and team building stuff,” Troyan said.

The players found out Thursday afternoon of their spring break trip that their season was over and were on a flight back to Philadelphia from Phoenix at 8 a.m. the next day. He said even though it happened quickly, they were able to throw together a senior tribute dinner, giving them a chance for a form of closure.

“As a coach, you mentally and physically gear up for your competitive season, and to have a sort of empty feeling initially was really hard for me,” Troyan said. “Once I tried to take a fresh look and be open-minded, I decided to view it as an opportunity or sabbatical to get through longer term projects that I have always wanted to do but haven’t had the time to.” 

Troyan said the team has come up with creative ways to stay connected.

He said he and his staff do Friday Facetimes to speak with each player for 15 to 20 minutes each to make sure they are doing OK, following up with their classwork and making sure they are emotionally sound, while also asking if there is anything they can do to help. 

They also do team Zoom sessions and Google sheets of favorite movies, documentaries and books as a sharing opportunity for the team.

Pat Santoro, head coach of the Lehigh men’s wrestling team, said one of the biggest challenges from this experience was figuratively losing the NCAA Championship six days before they even got a chance to wrestle.

“We were wrestling the whole season and had nine guys going to the NCAA tournament… The guys worked really hard and you just feel terrible for all the work they put in,” Santoro said.

Santoro said the toughest part right now is not being able to see the team every day.

Even so, Santoro said they have a weekly team meeting over Zoom to try to give players ownership of making the team better while they are at home.

“This is unprecedented for everybody, so I think you make the best of it,” Santoro said. “With every setback, there’s a new opportunity to learn more about ourselves and how we do things to get better. It’s tough because you want to build relationships, and it’s a lot better to do that face-to-face, but we can still (do so) online. So just finding new ways to navigate, and there are always some positives you can take out of every situation.”

Sue Troyan, head coach of the women’s basketball team, agreed with Santoro, and she said not being able to be around the student-athletes is difficult. 

Troyan said her team also uses Zoom to stay in touch to make sure everyone is safe and healthy, while also making sure incoming freshmen are meshing with the team as best they can. 

“We have six recruits joining us in the fall, so I have really made a conscious effort to integrate our incoming freshmen with our current class,” Troyan said.

Troyan added she appreciates the work of the Lehigh administration for making tough decisions to keep everyone safe. 

For now, coaches and administrators will have to focus on executing their jobs and relationships with student-athletes remotely.