The Bethany University athletics program is undergoing a shift, as its athletic director has stepped down and the university cut several sports from its offerings within the past month.
Athletic director Drew Snelgrove — also the men’s basketball coach — announced April 6 that he is stepping down as director and coach, effective May 8.
“I’ve extremely enjoyed the opportunity to come to my alma mater and build up the athletic program here,” Snelgrove said. “It’s been an incredible ride for the last five years. As I move forward, I hope there is an opportunity to stay in town.”
Snelgrove, the coach of the men’s hoops team for the past three seasons, said he is pursuing a more competitive situation, whether it is at a Division II college or to build a high school basketball program from the ground up.
He’s been coaching an Amateur Athletic Union team of local sixth-graders this spring — among them his son — and is looking for an opportunity to continue coaching.
Snelgrove replaced longtime coach Dan Mooney and amassed a 16-66 record over the past three seasons.
Second-year assistant coach Mark Laird will step in as head men’s basketball coach as the university searches for a new athletic director.
Baseball and track cut
Calling it a “strategic restructuring” of the varsity sports program, the Bethany board of trustees voted to cut the men’s and women’s track and field programs at the end of this year and the men’s baseball team at the end of 2011.
The move reduces the number of varsity sports at Bethany from 11 to eight while potentially trimming the amount of athletic scholarships Bethany awards each year.
“With the lack of facilities in the county, it’s real difficult to get on top of the ball,” Snelgrove said. “The guys are extremely dedicated — they are guys who travel over the hill for practice every day.”
Bethany does not have its own baseball field or track.
The university announced that student-athletes who participate in the to-be-cut sports and plan to finish their undergraduate degree at Bethany will continue to receive their athletic scholarships at their current levels.
