NORTON, Mass. — Wheaton College alumna Lisa Yenush '90, an accomplished administrator with more than two decades of collegiate athletics leadership experience, has been named the institution's Director of Athletics and Recreation at Wheaton College (Mass.).
In announcing the appointment, effective on July 1, Vice President for Student Affairs Darnell T. Parker lauded Yenush's commitment to supporting student achievement on the field and in the classroom.
"Lisa has demonstrated throughout her career that she understands the transformative role athletics can play in a student's college experience," Parker said. "Her student-centered approach, deep understanding of Division III athletics and commitment to academic excellence make her the ideal person to lead Wheaton Athletics into its next chapter."
President Michaele Whelan said that Yenush "exemplifies the very best" of Wheaton's melding of athletics and academics.
"As a distinguished alumna, accomplished administrator and former student-athlete, she understands firsthand the profound impact that athletics can have on a student's growth, confidence and sense of community," Whelan said. "Lisa leads with integrity, compassion and a strong commitment to student success."
Yenush, who served as interim director of athletics for the 2025-2026 season, has said that she approaches college athletics as offering a valuable educational experience for students.
"Sports are a powerful vehicle for personal growth," Yenush said recently. "Wheaton has a unique ability to balance rigorous academics with a highly competitive and supportive athletic environment. I wanted to be part of a place where the 'student' always comes first in the term student-athlete. That was my experience as a student-athlete and it still holds as an administrator."
Over the past year under Yenush's direction, Wheaton Athletics enjoyed tremendous success and growth. The men's soccer program advanced to the NCAA National Tournament Quarterfinals as part of the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003 and finished the season ranked number seven in NCAA Division III. The men's basketball team played in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship game for the first time since 2005. All told, 17 of Wheaton's athletics programs advanced to post-season play, while 10 Lyons earned All-America honors. The men's volleyball program celebrated its inaugural season by tying for the most wins in the nation of any first-year program, while Yenush managed the most varsity athletics programs in school history.
That philosophy arises from her own experience. As a student, Yenush was a four-year player in basketball, soccer and softball, and she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wheaton. She became Wheaton's first Academic All-American, while also being selected the Softball Player of the Year by the New 8 Conference in 1989. In addition, Yenush won the 1990 Linda Frances Epstein Award, which is awarded to a graduating senior who embodies respect for and commitment to the traditions of Wheaton in the achievement of academic excellence and dedicated performance in athletics.
After earning a master's degree from Springfield College, Yenush spent more than a decade as a head coach and administrator at Salve Regina University, where she served as the head coach for the women's soccer and softball teams and as assistant director of athletics for eight years, before moving from the sidelines and being elevated to associate director of athletics in her final five years in Newport, R.I.
She returned to Wheaton in 2012 to serve as the associate director of athletics, managing NCAA compliance, coordinating community service projects and overseeing game management. Yenush also served as the department's academic advising liaison and monitored academic performance, support programs and eligibility.
In addition, Yenush has been integral in securing three NCAA Pathway to Excellence grants at Wheaton and previously spearheaded Salve Regina's annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day clinic.
Yenush has chaired numerous committees within the athletics community. She chaired the NCAA Northeast Region women's basketball committee, Conference of New England (formerly the Commonwealth Coast Conference) SWA committee and was active in the Rhode Island Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (RIAIAW). She served on the CNE's and the New England Womens' & Men's Athletic Conference's officiating committees and was selected to be a facilitator at the 2010 NCAA Leadership Forum.
