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wilmettebeacon.com SPORTS
the wilmette beacon | February 14, 2019 | 35
Loyola taps Atwood to run athletic department
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
When Genevieve Baisley
Atwood took over as
Loyola Academy’s interim
athletic director on Aug.
15, it started a nationwide
search to find its new Vice
President of Athletics and
Fitness.
Little did the school
know that the perfect
candidate for the job was
already at the school: Atwood.
Loyola officially named
Atwood its Vice President
of Athletics and Fitness
Thursday, Feb. 8, in a
press release.
Despite having a background
in athletics, including
coaching crosscountry
and softball, when
Atwood came to Loyola
15 years ago, becoming
an athletic director isn’t
something she envisioned
herself becoming.
“I remember when I
came here full time and
I came here as a teacher,
I just thought to myself,
‘you know what, bigger
building, more opportunities
for growth,’” she said.
“I’ve always sort of had
that mindset of, you know
what, I’m just going to do
my job and do the best I
can and I never really had
a pre-determined path of
where I was going to go.
“So, I wouldn’t say that
athletics is something that
I, thought ‘oh in the future
I want to be that’ but what
was always there for me is
a belief in my skill set and
a belief in Loyola Academy
and the mission here.
That responding to what’s
available here and sort of,
responding to the call and
the need.”
While taking on the role
of interim athletic director,
Atwood continued her
role as Vice President of
Admissions and Enrollment,
a position she had
held since 2008. Prior to
that, she had been assistant
dean of student life overseeing
co-curricular student
clubs and activities,
as well as a faculty member
in the O’Shaughnessy
Program.
While working in admissions
and enrollment
and the athletic department
may seem like quite
different roles, there were
many similarities as well.
However, as Atwood
found out, it wasn’t always
easy trying to balance
the two.
“It’s been challenging
from a time management
perspective for myself but
really I just want to make
certain that the people and
the department get a lot
of credit for stepping up,”
she said. “I can not say
enough great things about
the athletic department
and the head coaches here
and their response is really
inspiring. It inspired me to
want to continue to work
with them.
“I have three young
children. Luckily, I have
a great husband who’s
very supportive but really
I have not felt alone
at all, it’s just everywhere
you turn is people saying
‘how can I help and what
can I do’ and they’ve done
it. It’s been a real team effort
to get both done, both
on the admissions side of
it and the athletics side of
it.”
The Vice President of
Athletics and Fitness role
means that Loyola will
be going away from the
traditional athletic director
role. In the traditional
role, the athletic director
would have reported to the
principal, who would then
report to the president.
The vice president role
will report directly to the
president.
Atwood says that the
idea was that there would
be a vice president of
athletics and fitness who
would oversee the entire
department and cope with
the programming with the
associate and assistant
athletic directors. The role
is still evolving and needs
to be hashed out a bit, but
the idea is that if someone
needs something from the
athletic director, it will be
from Atwood, while also
hoping that some of the
others in the department
can take on some of that
responsibility as well.
“The fitness part is, I
think that kind of comes
from Loyola, part of our
mission is be physically
fit,” she said. “Just making
sure that there’s a
component in there of
wellness and fitness and
good health which is, going
to be good for anyone.
Hopefully, we’ll be able to
build out our athletic spaces
too, to make certain that
there’s time for kids to be
involved, maybe you’re
not even on a team but
you’re able to work out in
this space and things like
that.”
Atwood says she’s
lucky to have had people
like Jeremy Schoenecker
and John Holecek, associate
and assistant athletic
directors, as well as Principal
Charlie Heinz and
athletic directors from the
Chicago Catholic League,
Girls Catholic Athletic
Conference and even athletic
directors from rivals
like New Trier.
“I’m really grateful that
everywhere I’ve turned
people ask ‘how can I
help?’ and the other thing
is that I have no problem
letting people know if I
have a question or I’m
new or I need help with
something.”
This Week In...
Trevian varsity
athletics
Boys basketball
■Feb. ■ 15 - host Evanston,
7 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 19 - host Deerfield,
7 p.m.
Girls basketball
■Feb. ■ 14 - at Niles North
Regional, 7 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 18 - vs. TBA (at
Evanston Sectional), 6 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 21 - vs. TBA (at
Evanston Sectional), 7 p.m.
Gymnastics
■Feb. ■ 15 - at IHSA State
Finals (at Palatine), TBA
■Feb. ■ 16 - at IHSA State
Finals (at Palatine), TBA
Boys swimming and
diving
■Feb. ■ 16 - IHSA Sectional
(at Niles North), 1 p.m.
Boys track
■Feb. ■ 15 - at Evanston
Invite, 5:30 p.m.
NORTH SHORE
Girls track
■Feb. ■ 14 - host Lake View,
Loyola, North Shore Country
Day, Northside Prep, 4:30
p.m.
■Feb. ■ 20 - at Niles West
Quad, 4:30 p.m.
Rambler varsity
athletics
Boys basketball
■Feb. ■ 15 - host Fenwick,
7 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 19 - host Senn, 5:30
Girls basketball
■Feb. ■ 14 - host TBD (at
Loyola Regional, 6 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 18 - vs. TBA (at Niles
North Sectional), 7:30 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 21 - vs. TBA (at Niles
North Sectional), 7 p.m.
Boys swimming and
diving
■Feb. ■ 16 - IHSA Sectional
(at Niles North), 1 p.m.
Boys track and field
■Feb. ■ 15 - at Glenbrook
FIND THE VARSITY: NORTH SHORE ON
SOUNDCLOUD, ITUNES OR WILMETTEBEACON.COM/SPORTS
A 22ND CENTURY MEDIA PRODUCTION
South Invite, 4:30 p.m.
Girls track and field
■Feb. ■ 14 - at New Trier,
4:30 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 15 - at Maine South,
4:30 p.m.
Panther varsity
athletics
Girls basketball
■Feb. ■ 14 - vs. TBD
(at Timothy Christian
Sectional), 7 p.m.
Girls track and field
■Feb. ■ 16 - at Prospect
Invite, TBA
Raider varsity
athletics
Boys basketball
■Feb. ■ 15 - at Schaumburg
Christian, 6 p.m.
Girls basketball
■Feb. ■ 14 - vs. TBD (at Hope
Academy Sectional), 7 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 18 - vs. TBD (at
Belvidere High School), 6
p.m.
EXCLUSIVE
ANALYSIS
AND INTERVIEWS
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school teams. Sports
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and Michael Wojtychiw
host the only North
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