The Atlantic East Conference announced its 2023-24 Academic All-Conference team on Tuesday, June 18, including six student-athletes from the Penn State Altoona men’s tennis team.
ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the launch of the "Varsity A Club" in support of its 18 NCAA Division III programs.
Intercollegiate Athletics involves nearly 300 student-athletes and will continue to grow with the recent additions of women's golf and men's and women's wrestling, along with men's and women's cross-country added for the 2025-26 academic year.
The growth and vitality of Penn State Altoona and its athletics program is essential to the college experience, not just for the student-athletes, but the campus community as well.
"The launch of the Varsity A Club has been a vision for several years. With the growth of our athletics program and the opportunities we seek to provide our student-athletes, the time was now to bring this vision to life," said Tom Koehle, head men's and women's golf coach and coordinator of partnership development. "The Varsity A Club membership will help propel our efforts forward as we hope to provide philanthropic support for our varsity athletics programs while connecting with alumni and the community to set our student-athletes up for success during and after their athletic and academic experiences at Penn State Altoona."
The Varsity A Club will operate with four main tenets:
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Connect: The Varsity A Club seeks to connect with various Penn State Altoona stakeholders to build a better future for our student-athletes. With the growth and development of varsity athletics at the NCAA Division III level, the opportunity has presented itself to connect with alumni, community and those who cherish their memories at the Penn State Altoona to better serve our present and future student-athletes. Varsity A Club members will enjoy staying connected via consistent communication, social media and other outlets to celebrate our student-athletes and our rich athletic history.
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Celebrate: The Varsity A Club celebrates the successes of our student-athletes, past and present, both in and out of the classroom. Intercollegiate Athletics welcomes opportunities to connect present student-athletes with alumni and community members.
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Enhance: The Varsity A Club seeks to enhance the visibility of Penn State Altoona Athletics in the community, across the commonwealth, and throughout the region.
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Support: From its inception, the Varsity A Club looks to build a philanthropic spirit to propel our present and future student-athletes to new heights on conference, regional and national levels.
Funds received through the Varsity A Club will be used at the discretion of the director of athletics to enhance budgets for travel, gear, educational experiences and other costs associated with making teams more competitive and successful on the NCAA Division III level. Supporters can choose to have direct impact on individual athletics programs, events or specialty areas within athletics.
Alongside the college's focus on mentorship, the Varsity A Club also will look to provide student-athletes with potential mentorship opportunities with alumni and community leaders in various academic and business fields.
"Supporting the Varsity A Club via philanthropic support, mentorship or alumni connections is vital to the present and future success of Penn State Altoona Athletics. We are grateful to the stakeholders who have provided guidance in this initiative, and we look forward to the success it builds for our student-athletes, athletics program and college," added Brent Baird, director of athletics at Penn State Altoona. "The central focus of our growth is to ensure that student-athletes have a great experience over their four years of competition and are set up for success after graduation."
For more information, or to get involved with the Varsity A Club, contact Coordinator of Partnership Development, Tom Koehle, at 814-949-5152 or [email protected]. Addition information is available on the Varsity A Club page.
