CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University President Dr. Michael V. Carter is pleased to announced the promotion of Rusty Hollingsworth to Vice President of Athletics starting with the new fiscal year on July 1.
 
Hollingsworth, who has 26 years of athletic administration experience and served as Director of Athletics the previous 16 years, moves into the new position as the sixth vice president at Campbellsville University.
 
With the new promotion, assistant AD Jim Hardy is moving to the Director of Athletics position, also starting on July 1. In addition, head baseball coach and Associate AD Beauford Sanders will have a bigger role in the daily operations of the department.
 
"During the past 16 years, Rusty has shown exceptional leadership skills and has helped our athletics department grow immensely," said Dr. Carter. "His leadership with our 28 programs has been a time of innovation, vision and streamlining athletic offerings.
 
"Our university is growing as a fast rate and a big part of that is due to athletics. Rusty's Vice President position will allow him to spearhead athletics fundraising for future facilities and programs that are being added in the near future."
 
During his tenure, Hollingsworth has overseen the addition of numerous facilities: The new wrestling facility, Hawkins Athletic Complex, Gosser Gymnasium, the Kelly Hall Tennis facility, Coca-Cola Indoor Practice Facility, and the Montgomery-Haydon Soccer Field. He has also led renovations to the football, baseball and softball stadiums, and is currently working on plans for further facility upgrades. He also has overseen the addition or reinstatement of 12 athletic programs during his tenure.

The athletics department is growing immensely and new programs and facilities are on the horizon. The biggest is the Ronnie Hord H&W Sport Shop Fieldhouse, which was destroyed in a fire this past April. Blue prints for the H&W Fieldhouse are still in the works but a new location has been determined, across from the current Hawkins Athletic Center.
 
"I am excited to accept this new position in the athletics department as the university prepares for the future," said Hollingsworth. "It has been a great pleasure to serve as director of athletics for the past 16 years. As the director of athletics I've seen the need for facilities and resources increase every year as our athlete population continues to grow. This new position will give me the chance to help meet those needs and still be involved in the daily operations of athletics.  Thank you to Dr. Carter and our board of trustees for allowing me this new opportunity to serve this great institution."

Campbellsville's athletic teams have also seen unparalleled success under Hollingsworth's guidance. In 2009-10 and 2010-11, the coaching staff captured the institution's first and second Mid-South Conference President's Cups, thanks to the Tigers' 13 MSC regular season championships combined in the two seasons.

This past season, Campbellsville finished with four national champions, five Mid-South Conference titles, 119 Academic All-Conference performers and 22 NAIA All-American honors. During Hollingsworth's tenure, 23 of the 27 NAIA, NCCAA or WCWA national championships have been won.

In 2015-16, the Tigers and Lady Tigers had their best seasons to date. CU brought home a total of eight Mid-South Conference Championships, seven student-athletes were named Player of the Year, six coaches named Coach of the Year and three freshmen were named Freshman of the Year.
 
With the unparalleled success on the field, CU finished No. 13 in the Learfield Directors' Cup. But CU athletics competed off the field as well with five MSC Champions of Character recipients, while the men's and women's swimming programs both earned the NAIA Champions of Character Team Award at the National Championship. In the past three years, CU student-athletes have been named Champion of Character a record 20 times. In 2010, the Lady Tiger basketball team and Tiger football team were both named the Champion of Character team for their sport by the NAIA. In addition to this past season, both swim programs earned the honor in 2014.

In April 2011, Hollingsworth was named the Under Armour NAIA Southeast Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA). He has three times been named the Mid-South Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2004, 2010 and 2015.
 
Hollingsworth came to Campbellsville in 2001 from Tennessee Wesleyan College where he was Dean of Students and Director of Financial Aid. He was also the Associate Director of Admissions, Athletics Eligibility Coordinator and Assistant Director of Financial Aid/Financial Aid Compliance Officer for Athletes at Carson-Newman College.