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Renwick taking over AD duties for now

Erika Renwick

Saint Francis named longtime administrator Erika Renwick its interim athletic director on Monday, with Susan Robinson Fruchtl officially stepping down from the position.

Robinson Fruchtl announced in the fall that she’d be leaving the post at the end of March. The school is conducting a search for the full-time replacement, and Renwick will oversee the athletic department in the meantime.

Renwick has been the senior woman administrator at Saint Francis for 22 years and the deputy AD since 2014, making her a natural choice to serve as interim AD. She played softball at Saint Francis and also was the softball head coach at IUP in the 1990s.

“Her years of extensive experience at SFU will enable her to provide stability and continuity of leadership within the department,” Saint Francis President Father Malachi Van Tassell said in a university statement.

“Erika always places the best interest of the university and its students first, and will continue to do so in the interim role. I assure Erika of my prayers and support in the coming weeks, until our national search yields the next director of athletics.”

Renwick told the Mirror she’s “very grateful for Father Malachi and the university administration for believing in me and understanding how my administrative experience helps me transition into this role.”

“The meaningful relationships that I’ve developed over my time at Saint Francis, to use my time as a former student-athlete and as a former college head coach, allows me to see the different perspectives.”

Renwick was asked if she’d like to be considered for the full-time AD job at Saint Francis.

“I think it’s always the goal for a college athletics administrator to be an AD,” she said. “Right now we’re going day to day and seeing where tomorrow brings us.”

Saint Francis, like colleges everywhere, has a closed campus right now because of the coroavirus. Renwick is taking over the athletic department at a tough time and is doing business by video conference with coaches and other administrators.

“There’s a lot going on with the current climate that we’re in, unfortunately,” Renwick said. “Right now I’m working with our coaches and being able to make sure our student-athletes succeed in the classroom and return in the fall.”

No one at Saint Francis has tested positive for the coronavirus, Renwick said.

Renwick has paid her dues and been a loyal, valuable employee at Saint Francis for more than two decades, so she’s seen a lot of changes in the athletic department.

“The thing that makes me most proud is being able to continue to tell the amazing work our staff and student-athletes do at Saint Francis,” she said. “It’s a special place that allows students to come and have an outstanding education and compete at the Division I level.”

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