Misericordia Director of Athletics Charles Edkins joins D3.ticker’s Kristen Eargle to discuss many of the trending topics in DIvision III. Edkins discusses the metrics that are used to evaluate what sports to add as 22 sports have been added since 1992. The two discuss the athletic training shortage and the emphasis as well as hiring coaches to find the right fit to embody the Misericordia Mystique.
00:00 - Introduction
00:39 - You have spent 33 years at Misericordia and in your 10th year as an AD, you have seen the growth first hand, what are some ways you’re positioning the Cougars in Division III?
03:17 - As a four time conference coach of the year (PAC & MAC Freedom), now that you’re in the AD chair, how do you prioritize specific ways to help your coaches and programs thrive?
05:40 - Now that you are in the AD chair and have sat in a number of different seats, how do you think about your own professional development?
08:19 - You’ve said that part of what kept you in Luzerne County was the Misericordia Mystique. As the AD, how do you work to foster that community and mission so that those after you have the same feeling around this institution?
10:16 - What impact did Baseball winning the school’s first national title this past summer have on the department?
11:48 - You have added 22 sports since joining DIII in 1992. Is that correct?
12:13 - How has the university gone about evaluating sports to add?
15:00 - Of the recent adds, Men’s and Women’s Wrestling, Men’s Ice Hockey, STUNT, which was the most challenging and why?
17:24 - Have you developed your own manual when adding sports?
19:34 - With the student-athlete population being a large portion of the student-body, is there a cap on the number of sports/roster growth?
21:01 - Do you have a need for athletic trainers to cover these sports?
23:10 - What are some of your biggest challenges right now? What’s keeping you up at night?
25:23 - Where do you see things trending in Division III?