WAYNE, N.J. – After contributing nearly four decades of leadership to the William Paterson University campus, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Sabrina Grant has announced her retirement, effective Feb. 1, 2021.
 
Kristen Foley will serve as the Pioneers' interim director of athletics. Foley's wealth of athletics administrative and coaching experience spans over three decades, including the last three and a half years as WP's associate director of athletics.
 
Grant joined the WP athletics staff in 1983 as the assistant director of athletics. In October of 1994, she became the associate director of athletics, a position she held until 2002 when she served as the interim director of athletics. Grant was officially appointed to her current position shortly thereafter in 2003, making the 2020-21 academic year her 38th overall at William Paterson and her 18th as the leader of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
 
"When I arrived on campus in 1983, I could not have envisioned spending more than three decades at William Paterson, and ultimately retiring from the institution where I would spend nearly my entire career," said Grant. "However, William Paterson is a special place, a place where I was afforded countless opportunities to grow and develop while feeling valued and respected, and a place where I felt I was an important member of the overall University community."
 
"There are so many people who supported me throughout my career, who have and continue to play an important role in my life," she continued. "I am grateful for their leadership and their trust in me, starting with former Director of Athletics Art Eason, President Emeritus Dr. Arnold Speert, former Vice President of Student Development Dr. John Martone, President Emerita Dr. Kathleen Waldron, President Dr. Richard Helldobler and Vice President of Student Development Dr. Miki Cammarata. I also want to thank all of the talented members of the Athletics Department staff for their dedication and commitment, and most importantly, thank our student-athletes. All that has been accomplished is a result of true team effort and collaboration of Athletics staff and University administration. As I look forward to the next chapter in my life, I depart with wonderful memories of my time at William Paterson."
 
Grant has been present for many exciting times at William Paterson, including the 1992 and 1996 baseball national championships and the 2001 men's basketball national runner-up finish. The Pioneers made 70 NCAA Tournament appearances and won 26 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) titles during her tenure while she made her mark on every part of the department, including operations, student-athlete support, budget, scheduling and staffing. Among her notable accomplishments were the establishment of the Faculty Athletic Support Team (FAST) in 2013 and the Student-Athlete Mentors (SAMs) program in 2019.
 
"On behalf of everyone at William Paterson, I want to thank Sabrina for her nearly four decades of service to the University and its student-athletes," said President Richard J. Helldobler. "As both President and an enthusiastic fan of all of our Pioneer Athletics teams, I have seen firsthand the care and dedication that Sabrina brings to the development and success of the whole student-athlete. The results of her good work can be seen in their many individual and collective achievements in competition, in the classroom, and in life. We wish her all the best."
 
Grant's impact on the Pioneers' facilities will be one of her lasting legacies, as she spearheaded four construction projects since 2003 that created brand-new practice/competition sites for the baseball, field hockey, football, tennis and men's and women's soccer programs. She also was key to important upgrades made to the sites used by WP's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, softball and men's and women's swimming and diving teams.
 
"Sabrina has been an outstanding athletic director and colleague," Vice President Miki Cammarata said. "The accolades are numerous, but one of the things that stands out the most for me is her true care for, and commitment to, the student-athlete experience. During my seven years working with Sabrina, her sentiments and decisions were always informed by what she felt best supported our student-athletes' success, both in competition and in the classroom."
 
Grant has been active in the local, state and national levels of athletics and has been honored numerous times throughout her career. She was President of both the NJAC and the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW), chairperson for the New York/New Jersey Metro ECAC Women's Basketball Selection and Seeding Committee, and member of the ECAC Softball Selection and Seeding Committee. She received the Directors Award from WP for her service and dedication to the University and the Athletic Department, and in 2004 was honored by the NJAIAW for service to the state of New Jersey. In addition, she was a recipient of WP's Merit Award in 1988-89.
 
"If you were to put together a list of the most influential people in the New Jersey Athletic Conference over the past 38 years, in my mind Sabrina would be right at the top," said NJAC Commissioner Terry Small. "She is a person who has dedicated her entire adult life to William Paterson University, and her name is synonymous with Pioneer Athletics. She also is someone who I personally consider a friend and a mentor, and a trusted voice of reason when it comes to all facets of our conference. I know I speak for all of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators when I say how lucky we were to have Sabrina as one of our key leaders in the NJAC throughout her career."
 
Before joining the Pioneers' staff, Grant served as the assistant director of athletics and recreation at Brooklyn College from 1980-83. Her primary responsibilities included budgetary planning, hiring of staff, scheduling of contests, academic advisement for student-athletes and overseeing nine women's intercollegiate athletic teams. She served as an AIAW and NCAA voting representative, and coordinated and supervised a university recreation program for 17,000 individuals.

A magna cum laude graduate, she holds bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education from Queens College, where she was a standout on the tennis courts for the Knights.

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William Paterson Athletics Highlights During Sabrina Grant's Tenure (1983-2021)

• Two NCAA Division III team national championships (1992 and 1996 baseball)
• One NCAA Division III men's basketball national runner-up (2001)
• Two NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament Final Fours (1999, 2001)
• Six NCAA Division III Baseball College World Series appearances (1985, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999)
• Two NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals berths (2001, 2005)
• Three NCAA Division III Tournament Elite Eights (1995 women's basketball, 1998 women's basketball, 2006 men's basketball)
• Five NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet Sixteens (1987 men's basketball, 1997 women's basketball, 1997 women's soccer, 2000 men's basketball, 2011 women's basketball)
• 70 NCAA Tournament appearances
• 26 NJAC Tournament titles
• Three Metropolitan Conference Swimming and Diving Championships team titles
• 129 individual all-America recognitions
• 303 individual all-region honors
• 114 individual NJAC specialty awards (Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, etc.)
• 20 NJAC Coach of the Year trophies
• 1,118 individual all-NJAC certificates
• 13 academic all-America awards
• 25 academic all-district honors