Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
V.P. and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke Earns Extension
10/13/2015 2:29:00 PM | General
Lyke’s contract will run through the 2019-20 year
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University Vice President and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke has signed a contract extension that will keep her at EMU through at least the 2019-20 season, the EMU Board of Regents announced Tuesday, Oct. 13.
"It is an honor to serve our gifted student-athletes, committed coaches, dedicated staff and exceptional University. I am grateful for the genuine support of the Board of Regents and University leadership as well as our loyal donors who continue to help advance our vision. As a team, we will continue to work hard, make a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes and become a source of pride for our University."
Lyke was hired to lead the Eagles athletic department in 2013. With a firm commitment to student-athlete experience and comprehensive excellence, Lyke has set about transforming EMU into the Mid-American Conference's dominant athletic program. Under her leadership, EMU Athletics has hired eight head coaches, including Head Football Coach, Chris Creighton, and 12 key administrators. During her two-year tenure, EMU student-athletes, coaches and staff have won nine MAC Coach of the Year Awards, 11 MAC Players of the Year, 46 MAC individual champions, 138 All-MAC student-athletes and 186 All-MAC Academic award winners.
Lyke's unwavering emphasis on academic achievement has supported student-athletes who have broken and re-broken EMU academic records under her watch. In 2013-14, EMU student-athletes turned in a then all-time high overall GPA of 3.159 in the fall, and followed it up with the second highest all-time GPA (3.145) in the winter. 67 student-athletes earned 4.0 GPAs during at least one term and 68% of all student-athletes had a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. EMU's Graduation Success Rate of 77% and Federal Graduation Rate of 61% were also both new EMU records.
Lyke is fond of saying our talented coaches and student-athletes need great teaching environments to excel and she has wasted no time spearheading a number of necessary capital upgrades, including: completion of the EMU boathouse (rowing), ADA improvements and restrooms at Varsity Field (softball), bleachers and an ADA walkway at Scicluna Field (Soccer), a new Daktronics scoreboard, bleacher motors and electrical upgrades at Jones Natatorium (swimming), an upgraded student-athlete lounge area (football), new turf field (football), new basketball and volleyball practice court, remodeling and design of the EMU nutrition/fueling station and a complete interior re-branding of the Convocation Center atrium, office suites, hallways and Eagles Nest suite.
Lyke's penchant for facility trend-setting and creative branding was on full display almost immediately with the installation of college football's first gray field in 2014. As phase one of a comprehensive branding plan for EMU Football and Rynearson Stadium, the new turf received immediate recognition as a USA Today fan vote ranked EMU's new field No. 2 in the nation behind only the University of Tennessee.
It takes champions to build champions, and from day one Lyke set about upgrading the business model of Eastern Michigan Athletics. Just a few of the companies that have developed first-ever partnerships with EMU during Lyke's two year tenure include: IMG, Learfield Licensing, Aspire, Follett, Fanatics and Google. She has also re-negotiated lucrative new pouring rights and apparel contracts with Pepsi and Adidas that position EMU's agreements as some of the most competitive in the MAC.
"It is an honor to serve our gifted student-athletes, committed coaches, dedicated staff and exceptional University. I am grateful for the genuine support of the Board of Regents and University leadership as well as our loyal donors who continue to help advance our vision. As a team, we will continue to work hard, make a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes and become a source of pride for our University."
Lyke was hired to lead the Eagles athletic department in 2013. With a firm commitment to student-athlete experience and comprehensive excellence, Lyke has set about transforming EMU into the Mid-American Conference's dominant athletic program. Under her leadership, EMU Athletics has hired eight head coaches, including Head Football Coach, Chris Creighton, and 12 key administrators. During her two-year tenure, EMU student-athletes, coaches and staff have won nine MAC Coach of the Year Awards, 11 MAC Players of the Year, 46 MAC individual champions, 138 All-MAC student-athletes and 186 All-MAC Academic award winners.
Lyke's unwavering emphasis on academic achievement has supported student-athletes who have broken and re-broken EMU academic records under her watch. In 2013-14, EMU student-athletes turned in a then all-time high overall GPA of 3.159 in the fall, and followed it up with the second highest all-time GPA (3.145) in the winter. 67 student-athletes earned 4.0 GPAs during at least one term and 68% of all student-athletes had a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. EMU's Graduation Success Rate of 77% and Federal Graduation Rate of 61% were also both new EMU records.
Lyke is fond of saying our talented coaches and student-athletes need great teaching environments to excel and she has wasted no time spearheading a number of necessary capital upgrades, including: completion of the EMU boathouse (rowing), ADA improvements and restrooms at Varsity Field (softball), bleachers and an ADA walkway at Scicluna Field (Soccer), a new Daktronics scoreboard, bleacher motors and electrical upgrades at Jones Natatorium (swimming), an upgraded student-athlete lounge area (football), new turf field (football), new basketball and volleyball practice court, remodeling and design of the EMU nutrition/fueling station and a complete interior re-branding of the Convocation Center atrium, office suites, hallways and Eagles Nest suite.
Lyke's penchant for facility trend-setting and creative branding was on full display almost immediately with the installation of college football's first gray field in 2014. As phase one of a comprehensive branding plan for EMU Football and Rynearson Stadium, the new turf received immediate recognition as a USA Today fan vote ranked EMU's new field No. 2 in the nation behind only the University of Tennessee.
It takes champions to build champions, and from day one Lyke set about upgrading the business model of Eastern Michigan Athletics. Just a few of the companies that have developed first-ever partnerships with EMU during Lyke's two year tenure include: IMG, Learfield Licensing, Aspire, Follett, Fanatics and Google. She has also re-negotiated lucrative new pouring rights and apparel contracts with Pepsi and Adidas that position EMU's agreements as some of the most competitive in the MAC.
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