VIDEO

READING, Pa. (Conference News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) announced Wilkes University Athletic Director Addy Malatesta as the 2019 recipient of the MAC Lou Sorrentino Award on Tuesday at the 19th Annual MAC Awards Luncheon at Alvernia University.
 
Named after the long-time former Lebanon Valley College athletics administrator, the MAC Lou Sorrentino Award is presented to the MAC athletics administrator who has had a sustained and influential role in conference and national affairs and embodies the NCAA Division III philosophy. Sorrentino served Lebanon Valley College as a student-athlete, coach, and athletic director for nearly 60 years, from 1950 until his passing in November of 2010.
 
Malatesta is in her 30^th year at Wilkes, including her 19^th as the athletic director. She oversees a Colonels athletic program that features 23 NCAA Division III sponsored sports.
 
Under Malatesta’s direction, Wilkes has added seven new sports since 2014 including men’s and women’s swimming, men’s lacrosse, women’s golf, men’s volleyball, and just this past season, men’s and women’s ice hockey.
 
Over the course of the past eight years, she has overseen the renovation of the Ralston Athletic Complex at Wilkes, which included a brand new Field Turf playing surface in the multi-purpose stadium along with a new Musco Sports Lighting system, new bleacher system and Press Box. The renovation also included repairs to six all-weather tennis courts at the complex, a monument to George Ralston, who is considered “the father” of Wilkes athletics, and an expansion of the Munson Field House which includes new locker rooms and an athletic training facility.
 
This past year, Malatesta took the lead when Wilkes partnered with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins calling its home ice the Toyota SportsPlex at Coal Street Park. She oversaw the construction of men’s and women’s locker rooms and an athletic training room dedicated solely for the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams at Wilkes.
 
Malatesta is also at the front of Wilkes’ next major athletic project that will see the Ralston Athletic Complex add another multi-purpose turf stadium and turf baseball field for the 2019-2020 athletic season.
 
”Among Addy’s greatest strengths are her interpersonal skills,” noted Wilkes University Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Paul Adams. “She is adept at building strong relationships with key people at all levels and moves well within our University organization.  She is able to compromise when it’s appropriate and is trusted by her colleagues and student-athletes to find creative and mutually beneficial solutions. Addy possesses that wonderful quality of leaving any situation in which she is involved better than she found it. For young coaches, she is an exemplary role model whose consistent day-in, day-out work ethic, character and competitive spirit sets a standard to which they should aspire,” he added.
 
Malatesta is also an Operations committee member for the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and serves on several Wilkes University committees, including the search committee for Vice President, Finance & General Council; the Campus Master Planning committee; Case Review for Student Affairs; Disciplinary Hearing for Student Affairs; and is the co-chair of Wilkes University’s Athletics Hall of Fame committee.
 
She has also served various roles on the conference and national level including the chairperson for the MAC Field Hockey Games committee, NCAA Division III Regional Field Hockey Selection and All-American committees, and a three-year stint as chairperson of the NCAA Division III National Softball committee.
 
Prior to her time as athletic director Malatesta served as the field hockey coach at Wilkes, where she led the Colonels to a record of 140-113-9 in 14 years. In 1999 the Colonels finished with an overall record of 14-8, winning the Freedom Conference title and capturing the school’s first-ever Middle Atlantic Conference field hockey crown. During the 1995 season, Malatesta guided the Colonels to the NCAA Division III championships, in a season when the Colonels were ranked as high as 11^th in the country.
 
Malatesta also coached softball for five years at Wilkes, guiding the Colonels to a record of 60-52-1 and appearances in both the MAC and ECAC postseason.
 
During her time at Wilkes, Malatesta has been honored with several distinguished awards including the Ancestral Colonel Award, Colonel Blazer and just recently in 2016 the President’s Award for Community for her efforts in appreciating and collaborating with mutual respect to foster a sense of belonging on campus.
 
“Addy’s experience in her role as Director of Athletics and her loyalty to Wilkes are tremendous assets for our University,” said Adams. “She is a person of impeccable integrity who takes great pride in her work and has the breadth of perspective to understand and faithfully work in support of the mission of Wilkes University. The title of “Director of Athletics” doesn’t come close to describing her value to Wilkes’ students, faculty, staff and alumni; she is the consummate educator and mentor.”
 
A graduate of Slippery Rock University, Malatesta also holds a master’s degree in Education from East Stroudsburg University.