By Madeline Scovotti

After a year of uncertainty following the retirement of Suffolk’s director of athletics of the past 38 years, the athletic department has announced Cary McConnell as the university’s third Athletic Director.

McConnell served as interim Athletic Director for the 2013-14 year, following Jim Nelson’s tenure as AD.

“I’m excited,” McConnell said. “It’s going to be a process getting going, but I think we have some great ideas. We have a great staff down here and we’re going to work very hard for the athletes and the university.”

McConnell has worked with the Suffolk athletic community over the course of 19 years, serving as both head baseball coach and associate director of athletics since 1996.

During his time at Suffolk, McConnell has been awarded for his hard work and dedication to the athletic department numerous times, including receiving the Jack Butterfield Award from the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association and being named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times.

Sitting with McConnell in his office, the hustle and high energy of the athletic department could be felt right outside his door. Athletes, coaches, and staff fill the hallways, running back and forth between meetings, practices, and workouts in the gym. It’s easy to sense the strength of the athletic community.

For Chelsea Campellone, a junior basketball player, being a part of this community has shaped her college experience.

“I probably would have hated Suffolk if I wasn’t an athlete,” said Campellone. “Being an athlete at Suffolk puts you in a completely different category. These girls on my team became my family right away and then you also become friends with all the other teams, too.”

One of his first goals as athletic director will be to expand the department by filling the rosters.

“I think right now we’re at 210 athletes, and if we fill our rosters we’ll be at 240 athletes, which means, in terms of coaches, we have to increase our recruiting and go out and identify quality student athletes that can not only do well in the classroom here but will also help us compete out on the field.”

Through the eyes of some of the athletes, McConnell has already made some major improvements to the athletic department.

“He was just the interim AD last year, but he still made a lot of progress with athletics. We got new jerseys and the floor got redone,” recalled junior and basketball player Adam Chick.

In terms of what McConnell might bring to athletics in upcoming years, Chick foresees a rebooted and refocused athletic department.

“I think he’s just going to give us a fresh look,” said Chick.

Another goal of McConnell’s is to potentially expand the intramural programs. Suffolk currently offers flag football and basketball, which are highly popular intramurals. McConnell hopes to expand  programs such as softball and kickball, which would require finding outdoor field space.

As a university located in downtown Boston, space for outdoor facilities is limited. Sports including soccer, baseball, tennis, and softball are forced to share facilities with Boston-area cities, most of which are nowhere near Suffolk’s campus. This is another challenge the new athletic director hopes they will be able to tackle in the near future.

“We’re scattered all over the city of Boston,” said McConnell. “Right now the biggest challenge is actually getting fans to games.”

According to McConnell, occasional busing could be a possible solution.

“We could definitely do it for a few games and then for senior nights,” McConnell.

Providing transportation to home games would not only greatly increase fan turnout, but would also raise more awareness in general about athletics at Suffolk.

“There are students who probably don’t even know that we have athletics, and there’s probably professors here who don’t know we have athletics,” said McConnell. “But of the students here who are on the teams, it’s a big part of their education, so it’d be nice if we did a little better.”

Chick echoed those thoughts and said he feels that the lack of fans and school support can sometimes be disheartening.

“It’s hard as an athlete. It’s such a big commuter school that fan wise, getting people to games is tough. You have people who live off campus who just don’t ever show up. We need to work on getting more recognized on campus with athletics.”

Watching athletes pass by the office, McConnell comments on how proud he is of the athletes and all of their achievements. He only hopes he will be able to do enough for them as their new athletic director.

“Our responsibility is to provide them with everything they need to be successful and make the university look good at the same time.”