MILWAUKEE -- Brad Duckworth, director of athletics and head basketball coach at Alverno College the past nine seasons and golf coach the past three, has announced that he is leaving the Inferno to become the new director of athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
"Brad is a phenomenal athletic director, and UWSP is fortunate to have him, just as we have been," said Mary Meehan, Ph.D., president of Alverno College.
During his nine years at Alverno, Duckworth expanded the athletics program by adding two intercollegiate sports -- tennis in 2009 and golf in 2013 -- and was integral in the formation of the Alverno Athletics Hall of Fame, the Alverno A-Club and the annual Alverno Inferno Golf Outing fundraiser.
"The administration has always had a shared vision and has understood the importance that athletics plays on our campus, that will certainly not change," said Duckworth. "Mary Meehan has been so much more that a president, she has been a teammate, and her leadership has been paramount to all of our successes."
The department was a six-time community service award recipient for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Cans Across the Conference annual food drive, and Alverno was honored with the NACC Sportsmanship Award three times during his tenure.
"I have been so blessed to work with the best athletics team in the NCAA," added Duckworth. "Since I started here, I have always been in awe with the dedication and commitment everyone has had to make Alverno athletics great. I will certainly miss the friendships but I am positive that the department is set up for great things because of the outstanding staff."
The Inferno basketball team won 103 games with Duckworth at the helm, making him the all-time winningest coach in program history. He led the team to its best finish in school history in 2014, posting a 19-9 record, including a 14-6 mark in the NACC. The victories, both overall and conference, broke school records for most in a season, surpassing the record marks his Inferno squad set in 2013. The team qualified for the NACC women's basketball tournament for the third time in school history and advanced to the 2014 tournament championship game with a pair of overtime victories in the first two rounds.
"I continue to stand in awe of the amazing women that have played here in the last nine years. Having watched them grow from high school students to strong women has been amazing. I will forever be indebted to them."
Duckworth, who received his MBA from Alverno, currently chairs the NCAA National Women's Basketball Rules Committee and is the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Central Region chair. He will continue his duties at Alverno until June 30, while a national search to fill the position begins.
"The entire Alverno community has been home to me and I am so proud to be an alum. There will always be a part of my heart here."