Despite the absence of an NCAA softball tournament in 2020, the Softball Selection Committee’s annual personnel turnover continued as scheduled, with three new members joining the committee in advance of the 2021 season.
North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen will serve as the committee’s chairperson for the coming year, which is also the final year of his term.
A trio of collegiate administrators make up the new additions to the Committee; the group includes Stony Brook’s Debbie DeJong, Loyola Marymount’s Ashley Armstrong, and Keanah Ata Smith of Western Michigan.
DeJong serves as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance at Stony Brook, a position that she has held since July of 2019. Prior to her tenure with the Seawolves, DeJong served as the athletic director at Long Island University and led the merging of the LIU-Brooklyn and LIU-Post athletic programs into one LIU department.
A former softball coach, DeJong spent five years as the head coach at Dowling College, recording a .689 winning percentage during her tenure. She spent six years at St. John’s, including two as head coach and four as an assistant.
Armstrong is the Deputy Athletic Director at Loyola Marymount, a title that she has held since August of 2019. She also is the LMU athletic department’s Chief Operating Officer and the Lions’ Senior Woman Administrator. She is the sport administrator for the LMU softball team.
Before joining LMU, Armstrong spent several years on staff at UCLA, reaching the title of associate athletic director. She served on both the Women’s Rowing and Men’s Volleyball committees during her time at UCLA, and is an alumnus of the UC-Davis volleyball program.
Smith is the Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at WMU. She has been with the Broncos’ athletic department since 2018, and previously held the role of senior associate commissioner of the Mountain West Conference. Among her roles with the Mountain West, Smith was the primary administrator for the league’s championships.
Formerly an associate athletic director in the Miami (Ohio) athletic department for nearly a decade, Smith’s resume also includes a stint as an assistant director of championships at the NCAA, as well as multiple stints on staff with Conference USA.
Three committee members saw their tenures end with the dawn of August: UCF administrator Brandi Stuart, who spent two years as the committee’s chairperson; Long Beach State administrator Ashlie Kite; and Harvard head coach Jenny Allard.
