INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 1, 2024) – Manhattan College Director of Athletics Irma Garcia has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, as announced by the NCAA today. Garcia becomes the first administrator to represent the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) on the committee in the league’s 43-year history and she becomes the seventh woman overall to serve on the committee. Her five-year term begins immediately and runs through Aug. 31, 2029.
 
“I am thrilled to be selected as the MAAC representative on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee,” Garcia said. “This is without question an opportunity to elevate Manhattan College, our conference and Division I men’s basketball. I’m excited to get started working alongside my fellow committee members. The best is yet to come!”
 
Garcia has been in her current role at Manhattan for a year. She spent the prior 35 years at St. Francis Brooklyn, first as the women’s basketball coach from 1988-99, then as the associate athletics director from 1999-2007 and then as the athletics director from 2007-23. St. Francis Brooklyn is also where Garcia earned her undergraduate degree in 1980 while playing basketball for four years at the school. Upon graduating, she served as a physical education instructor and girls basketball coach at St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School on Staten Island for eight years. She later earned a master’s from Brooklyn College.
 
“Irma's journey through the ranks of basketball as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator, combined with her passion for the game, makes her an excellent choice to represent the MAAC on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee,” said MAAC Commissioner Travis Tellitocci. “Her commitment to advancing the sport, enhancing the welfare of student-athletes, and working to chart a strategic vision that propels men's basketball into a promising future will be an asset to the Committee.”
 
Milo Riverso, Ph.D., President of Manhattan College said, “This is an extraordinary achievement for Irma. Every day she demonstrates what is means to be an exceptional leader through her commitment, her drive, her compassion and competitive spirit. I am excited for Irma and our entire Manhattan College community of Jaspers.”
 
Garcia was the Northeast Conference women’s basketball Coach of the Year in 1998, won the FCS Administrator of the Year in 2014-15 from the group now called Women Leaders in Sports, and a year later received Division I-AAA Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year honors. The Brooklyn native has also served on the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee and is active with Women Leaders in Sports. In addition, she has had leadership roles with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the Public Schools Athletic League of New York City.
 
Garcia will be the first MAAC representative in the Conference’s history to serve on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. Former Saint Peter’s University Director of Athletics Rachelle Paul was appointed to the Committee in April of 2023 but departed the institution before her term commenced in September 2023.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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