Clarion Athletics

Dr. Wendy J. Snodgrass (Hamilton) is in her 18th year at Clarion in 2022-23 and her sixth year as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.  She had previously served as the university's Interim Athletic Director, Associate Athletic Director, Senior Woman Administrator, Compliance Coordinator and Title IX Deputy since 2007 after spending two years as an acting Associate Athletic Director. She officially had the interim tag removed from her title on May 16, 2017, making her just the seventh athletic director at Clarion since 1927.  She is the first woman to hold the post, and at the time of her hiring was one of just four female athletic directors in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

In her time as the athletic director, Snodgrass has been instrumental in piloting the university's athletic programs through change and upheaval. She was integral in the return to Tippin Gymnasium in Fall 2019, as the Department of General Services (DGS) finished a $42.9 million renovation project to create a state-of-the-art facility for student-athletes and coaches. For the second time in less than a decade, Clarion was selected as the host institution for the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships, with staffers set to handle the championship in Fall 2023. In addition, Clarion was selected to host the 2025 and 2026 Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight rounds, as well as the 2026 NCAA Division II Basketball Festival. The latter will feature the semifinal and championship rounds of the tournament.

In her year as the interim athletic director, Snodgrass was instrumental in helping Clarion secure a bid as the host institution for the 2018 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships, coming to the A.J. Palumbo Center in December of that year.    She also took on a leadership role in helping to plan athletics events for the university's 150th anniversary celebration in 2017-18.
 
In the previous 11 years as Associate A.D., Snodgrass was prominent among her peers at the university and in the conference, serving as the chair of the Clarion University Intercollegiate Athletics Task Force in 2014.   She acted as the chair of the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving national committee from 2008-13.  In 2010-11 Snodgrass was the Chair of the Joint Committee on NCAA Swimming and Diving for all three divisions.  Snodgrass is currently the PSAC Athletic Director Liaison for Swimming and Diving Championships.  Her other duties at Clarion have included NCAA eligibility certification, compliance and student-athlete progress.
 

A native of Washington, Pa., Snodgrass earned her B.A. Degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing from Westminster in 2001.  A three-time NAIA swimming All-American and a four-year letterwinner, she was a team co-captain and a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) All-Academic Team in 1999-2000.  Snodgrass worked as a graduate assistant in the athletic department at California (Pa.) from 2002-03 and earned a Master of Education degree. 
 
Snodgrass earned her Doctor of Education degree in December 2015 from Indiana (Pa.).  Her dissertation was titled "Game On: A Qualitative Study of Leadership Skills Developed Through College Athletics."
 
Snodgrass, and her husband, Jeff Snodgrass have twin daughters, Callie and Maggie.