NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Jon Waters, a former student-athlete, administrator, assistant coach, and head coach at Christopher Newport University, was announced today as the new Director of Athletics at Lynchburg College.
Waters has served as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics at CNU since 2010, and took over as interim Director of Athletics in the summer of 2012 for a one-year period.
"I want to thank President Trible and the CNU administration for the opportunities to learn about leadership that they have afforded me over the past 18 years," Waters said. "My family and I have been blessed to be a part of such a loving and caring department and community. Working with our students and coaches to help them achieve their academic and athletic dreams has been very rewarding."
Waters will take over the Lynchburg program from Dr. Jack Toms, who retired on June 30th after 26 years leading the Hornets athletic department. Toms oversaw a Lynchburg program that captured over 100 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championships.
"Jon impressed us as a man who could build on the Jack Toms legacy, both personally and professionally," said Dr. Julius A. Sigler, Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs. "His experience with Division III athletics and the regions in which we compete and recruit from will be a big bonus. We welcome Jon to the LC community."
Some of Waters' essential responsibilities at CNU included budget coordination, facilities and operations, human resources, sport supervision and coordination of NCAA post-season bids and tournament management. Waters assisted with new media initiatives, including the expansion of live streaming in both quality and quantity. He worked closely with CNU's athletic development staff to develop revenue streams including sponsorships, licensing and facility rentals. He also successfully cultivated relationships with community sports populations, which led to increases in rental revenue for the past five years. His duties also included the oversight of academic services and student success, including academic compliance.
As a student-athlete at CNU, Waters was a part of the 1990-91 men's basketball team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's "Sweet 16" for the first time in school history. After his playing days, Waters joined the staff as an assistant coach and spent 19 seasons assisting C.J. Woollum on the CNU bench. The Captains posted an overall record of 379-145 during that time, and along the way, Waters played or coached in 13 NCAA tournaments, reaching the "Sweet 16" five times and the "Elite Eight" in 2000-01.
During the 2011-12 academic year, Waters served as the interim head women's basketball coach. He led the Captains to a 22-6 overall record and the regular season conference championship in the USA South.
"I have enjoyed competing at CNU during my career as a player, coach and administrator," Waters said. "Having been in the USA South Athletic Conference and the Capital Athletic Conference has given me a broad perspective and respect for how competitive Division III athletics is and what it takes to be successful at a very high level."
Waters earned a bachelor's degree in Leisure Studies and Physical Education from Christopher Newport University in 1991. He received his master's in Educational Administration from George Washington University in 1998.
Waters will officially begin his new duties at Lynchburg in early August.
