Posted: Nov 17, 2013

Northwood Announces Series of Athletic Department Changes

The Northwood University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced a series of staff changes.

Pat Riepma will return to his role as Head Football Coach. He will also remain in athletic administration, now serving as the Associate Athletic Director. Dave Marsh, the current associate Athletic Director, will now assume the role of Athletic Director. Former football coach Mike Sullivan has accepted a new position within the Northwood University system. He will now be the Director of Admissions for the Adult Degree Program.

"We are looking forward to seeing Pat Riepma, Northwood's all-time winningest coach, returning to the gridiron next fall as head coach and continue the good work our coaching staff has done with our student athletes," said Dr. Keith A. Pretty, President and CEO at Northwood.

Riepma spent 15 seasons as the head coach of the Northwood football program leading the team from 1993-2007. He turned Northwood into one of the elite programs in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Over the final 10 seasons of his coaching career, Northwood posted a record of 74-34 (.685), won three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships and earned four NCAA Division II Playoff bids.

A look at the Northwood record book shows the level of success the Timberwolves achieved under Riepma, who holds virtually every coaching record at Northwood. A four-time GLIAC Coach of the Year winner, Riepma currently ranks first in career victories (90), career winning percentage (.566) and wins in a season (10 – three times).

Riepma has served as Northwood Athletic Director for the past 14 seasons. Northwood has claimed 26 GLIAC championships in his time as A.D. He has played a vital role in the dramatic improvement of the Northwood Athletic facilities. Northwood has also enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in the classroom – student-athletes are coming off registering their highest cumulative GPA in school history during the 2012-13 academic year.

Marsh has served a variety of roles at Northwood during his 15 years at Northwood. He has served as Associate Athletic Director since 2000. During that time, Marsh has overseen compliance, facilities, budgeting and marketing in addition to various other duties within the athletic department. He has been at Northwood since 1998 when he was named Sports Information Director/Marketing Director.

In addition to his responsibilities at Northwood, Marsh has served in a variety of professional leadership capacities within the NCAA, the GLIAC, and in the community. He currently serves on the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Committee, has been on the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee and various NCAA Regional Ranking Committees. Marsh is a former chair of the GLIAC Marketing and Awards Committees and currently sits on the GLIAC Officiating Committee.

An active member of the Midland Community, Marsh has been chair of the Midland Amateur Sports Capital Committee for six years, served on the board of the Pregnancy Resource Center for eight years, and is currently on the board of the Midland Convention and Visitor's Bureau. He recently joined the Midland Area Community Foundation Grants Committee. Marsh has also been a longtime volunteer with MCTV, youth sports coaching, Royal Family Kids Camp, and other youth related organizations.

Sullivan has been at Northwood since 2000 and has been the head football coach for the past six seasons. He guided the Timberwolves to 23 victories in his time at the helm of the program. In addition to his time with the football program, Sullivan has also served a number of different roles at Northwood. He has served as a Registrar and Academic Specialist as well as Director of Recreation Services. Sullivan was also the Director of the Hach Center prior to his time as head football coach.