Has The University Of Iowa Found It’s New Athletic Director?

After 17 years as the Athletic Director for the University of Iowa, Gary Barta has announced his retirement this coming August. Gary was only the school's third AD in over half a century. Barta has helped lead Iowa to 4 national championships in his 17-year tenure, all of which have been in wrestling. Is it possible the University of Iowa has found his replacement in Beth Goetz?

Beth is the current Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief Operating Officer and according to Hawkeyes Wire USA Today, she is the "likely favorite for the interim position and could perhaps take over the role permanently."

Beth is a former All-American soccer player and has worked a lot in the world of college athletics over the past few decades. She was inducted into the Brevard College Hall of Fame in 2017 and finished her Division 1 soccer career at Clemson. She has also been nationally recognized for her efforts at Ball State on and off the field.

According to USA Today, Boetz earned a career coaching record of 120-90-9 from 1997-2008 as she coached the Ball State women's soccer team for a little over a decade.

Beth already has some experience taking over a program as an interim athletics director. She spent some time at the University of Minnesota and was the deputy athletics director and the senior woman administrator. In 2015-2016, she took over at the University of Minnesota as the interim AD.

During her time at Ball State, Boetz was recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal as a "Women of Influence" in 2021.

Is this the woman to take over the AD department at the University of Iowa? If Boetz earns the job she will be entering a position that is mostly dominated by men. According to USA Today, only 15 percent of NCAA Division 1 AD spots are held by women.