WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University Athletic Director Lynn Ullom has announced his retirement after more than three decades on the WLU campus as a student, coach and administrator.
“Lynn Ullom has created a strong athletic program at West Liberty, as evidenced by our recent finishes near the top of the Commissioner’s Cup,” said West Liberty University President Dr. Tim Borchers, who began his tenure at WLU on July 1. “I have valued Lynn’s insight, perspective, and knowledge about our athletic programs during my time at West Liberty and I appreciate that he agreed to stay on in the role for a few months after I started as President.”
Borchers has appointed Brad Forshey to fill the role of Interim Athletic Director. Forshey is Assistant Athletic Director and Director of NCAA Compliance for the university.
“It has been an extreme pleasure of being part of the West Liberty University athletic department as a coach and administrator for over 30 years. This is truly a special institution and one that I am proud to have served throughout my career,” said the West Liberty graduate, who spent nearly his entire professional career at his alma mater after returning to take the women’s basketball coaching reins prior to the 1991-92 season. “It’s never easy to leave something you love but now is an opportunity for me to spend more time with my wife and children who have supported me so much over the years. I’m extremely confident that under the direction of President Borchers, the university is poised to rise to even greater heights.
The West Liberty athletic department has combined remarkable growth with broad-based success on the field and in the classroom since Ullom stepped down as women’s basketball coach to assume the role of Athletic Director on May 4, 2017.
Off the field, the department’s student-athletes have posted a combined cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher in 10 consecutive semesters while producing multiple NCAA Division II Academic All-District and Academic All-America honorees across several sports. Several WLU standouts have been honored as NCAA Division II Academic All-Americans of the Year in their respective sports.
Hilltopper student-athletes have also been a perennial force in Mountain East Conference and NCAA Division II athletics throughout Ullom’s time at the helm. As Dr. Borchers noted, West Liberty placed second out of 12 schools each of the last two years in the MEC Commissioner’s Cup chase, which ranks the member schools’ success in all sports.
“It has been incredibly satisfying to work with our dedicated coaches to provide a quality experience for our student-athletes while preparing them to compete in Mountain East Conference and NCAA Division II play,” Ullom said. “I’m extremely proud that so many of our teams have not only competed for MEC championships but enjoyed regional and national success in NCAA post-season play.”
The 2022-23 school year saw the men’s indoor track team claim its first MEC title while men’s wrestling won its third straight MEC crown and men’s basketball won its sixth in a row. On the national stage, the men’s basketball team claimed another NCAA Atlantic Region crown and advanced to the NCAA Division II national championship game for the second time in school history. The wrestling team went on to win its third straight NCAA regional championship and placed in the Top 10 at the NCAA Nationals for the third consecutive year.
West Liberty’s student-athletes have benefitted from the addition of several new facilities in recent years, including the West Family Athletic Complex for the soccer and track programs and the mammoth 144,000 square-foot Belmont National Bank Practice Facility. The latest addition is the Panhandle Performance Zone, an expanded and upgraded weight room and training facility which began serving the university’s nearly 500 student-athletes during the 2021-22 academic year.
Still the winningest women’s basketball coach in West Virginia history, Ullom averaged more than 20 wins a season throughout his 26-year coaching career. From 1992 through 2017, his WLU women posted 17 20-win seasons, won five regular-season conference titles, six conference tournament crowns, played in 14 conference tournament championship games and earned 14 NCAA tournament bids. Ullom’s 534-252 (.679) career record ranks among the best all-time in the NCAA Division II ranks.
Inducted into the WLU Hall of Fame in 2010, the 3-time Conference Coach of the Year was the first women’s sports coach to earn the prestigious West Virginia College Coach of the Year Award from the West Virginia Sportswriters Association. He was also honored as the 2011 WBCA Region 2 Coach of the Year and was a 2016 WBCA Victory Award Club recipient.
“I was fortunate to have so many incredible mentors, colleagues, and friends who helped teach and guide me throughout my time at West Liberty,” Ullom said. “I was also blessed to have coached and been associated with countless student-athletes who made my coaching experience a dream come true. In addition, I would also like to say thank you to the many donors and benefactors whose generous support provided enhanced opportunities and experiences for the entire university.”
A native of Cameron, W.Va., Ullom has two children, Jared and Tessa. Lynn and his wife, Karen, reside in Wheeling. Karen has two daughters, Micah and Alycia.