Cailla Prisco
Sports Editor
Keene State is welcoming a new Athletic Director to their faculty, Phil Racicot.
Racicot has over 20 years of collegiate athletic experience, most recently at Duquesne University, an NCAA Division I institution in Pittsburgh, PA.
According to Keeneowls.com, Racicot said, “I’m very excited to be coming to Keene State. This position was very attractive to me due to the high level of commitment and support the institution demonstrates toward the intercollegiate athletics program. Much of my time and energy over the past twenty years has been devoted to [ensuring] that student athletes have the opportunity to obtain an excellent education and enjoy a quality student-athlete experience. There is no doubt that Keene State has established a great tradition of success both academically and athletically, and I’m looking forward to building on that.”
Dr. Denisha Hendricks, Keene State’s current Athletic Director, has a lot of faith in Racicot’s abilities as the new A.D and was a part of the hiring process.
“We had some really great candidates, and at that point, any of them could do the job. I don’t have any doubt about Phil’s abilities and whether he can do the job, he is certainly more than qualified,” said Hendricks.
An A.D. for a college or university has several responsibilities including managing a staff, coaches, and athletes.
“The biggest thing is just trying not to get anyone in trouble. Not to get in trouble with the college, the conference, the NCAA. That’s the main thing, that everyone does the right thing and stays out of trouble, the students are treated well, and playing by the book, and treating the staff well,” said Hendricks.
“The reality of the job is just solving other people’s problems, that comes with being in charge and I think Phil will do a fine job at that,” said Hendricks.
Keene State’s Assistant Athletic Director Abe Osheyack said he was “very excited about the new A.D.”
“We are very excited to have Phil on board. We have spoken a couple of times on the phone since he has accepted the position and I am really looking forward to working with him,” said Osheyack.
Racicot’s experience and hard work brought in $16 million in estimated economic impact for the city of Pittsburgh and $600K in honorariums payments from the NCAA to the city of Duquesne. This brought national media exposure for the city and the university.
“I think Phil is going to bring a different perspective from his career and the various things that he has done. He has done a lot in the student-athlete development standpoint, which I think is a strength for Keene State to have. He’s shown time and time again that he can do this well so I think he’s going to bring a lot of things to the table that will benefit Keene State,” said Hendricks.
Dr. Denisha Hendricks will finish her term as Keene State A.D. in May of 2019 and Phil Racicot will start as the new A.D. on May 31, 2019.
Cailla Prisco can be contacted
at cprisco@kscequinox.com
