Rutgers Hires Julie Hermann As New Athletic Director

Rutgers has hired Louisville senior associate athletic director Julie Hermann as its new athletic director, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Hermann will replace former athletic director Tim Pernetti, who resigned in the wake of the scandal surrounding former men's basketball coach Mike Rice.

"I'm very excited for her to have this opportunity," Louisville AD Tom Jurich told ESPN at the ACC spring meetings in Amelia Island, Fla. "Rutgers has a real gem. Julie is someone I've relied on in the past 15 years and she's never let me down. I truly believe Rutgers has a bright future with Julie at the helm."

Hermann, 49, will become only the third female AD at a BCS school joining NC State's Debbie Yow and Cal's Sandy Barbour. "It's terrific, terrific for the league, terrific for her, terrific for the thousands of women who aspire to becoming a director of athletics at this level," Yow said at the meetings.

Hermann was selected over Wisconsin deputy athletic director Sean Frazier. Hermann's primary responsibilities as the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator at Louisville saw her supervising 20 sports which included women's basketball, volleyball and softball. She also oversaw student development, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, marketing, development and the Olga Peers Academic unit.

Under Hermann, the Louisville women's basketball program made it to the NCAA national championship. However, the Lady Cardinals fell short of Connecticut 93-60.

Prior to joining the Louisville staff, Hermann spent one year as an assistant coach for USA Volleyball, helping the National Team to a silver medal finish at the World University Games in 1997. Before joining the National Team, Hermann served as the head women's volleyball coach at the University of Tennessee for six seasons.

Under Hermann, the Lady Vol volleyball squad improved more than 150 places in the ratings percentage index and advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade.