Lenoir-Rhyne alum Lawing takes new position at Western Carolina

By: the Record Staff | Hickory Daily Record
Published: July 14, 2011
Updated: July 14, 2011 - 12:20 PM

CULLOWHEE --

Todd Lawing, who spent the past seven years at his alma mater, Lenoir-Rhyne University has been named the new Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations at Western Carolina University.

Lawing, who most recently was the Senior Executive Associate Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of NCAA Compliance at Lenoir-Rhyne will begin the new position immediately.

“It is great to have Todd Lawing as a Catamount,” said Director of Athletics Chip Smith. “He brings all the experience and qualities we were looking for in this search. I am sure he, wife Andi and their two children will soon be very involved in the campus and the community.”

A native of Denver, N.C., Lawing, 33, worked his way up to Senior Executive Associate Athletic Director in the summer of 2010 after serving as Associate Athletic Director the three years prior at LRU. He got his start with the Bears’ athletics department from 2000-2002 while earning his masters degree, working as the department’s first athletic marketing intern after lettering for four years in baseball.

Lawing also worked as an Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Special Events from 2004-06.

“I’m excited about the opportunity at Western,” Lawing said. “The job has a lot of the same capacities that I handled at Lenoir-Rhyne. I’ll be over game day operations for football and also handling game day operations in soccer, golf and baseball.

It’s just a great opportunity at a larger school that’s still close to home for me, so that had a lot to do with the decision making process.”

While at Lenoir-Rhyne, Lawing was the tournament director for one NCAA Division II women’s basketball (2009) and two softball Southeast Regional Tournaments (2009 and 2010). He also served as an Associate Trustee for the Piedmont Educational Foundation/Bears Club.

Lawing has also been a member of the Hickory Sports Commission, which works to further the quality of life through the development, promotion, and recruitment of sporting events and activities to the Greater Hickory area. Since August of 2009, Lawing has been a member of the commission’s board.

“We definitely hated to leave Lenoir-Rhyne with both me and my wife going to school there,” Lawing said. “It was a very tough decision and I’ll miss being at Lenoir-Rhyne but is also a decision that I’m excited about at the same time.”