Cosumnes River College Assistant Athletic Director Jeanne Calamar received the Athletic Director of the Year Award from the California Community College Athletic Directors Association on March 29.

Calamar has been the assistant athletic director for 24 years, starting off with just overseeing the women’s sports and now overseeing all sports on campus.

“I feel honored to be nominated and selected for the award by my athletic director colleagues across the state,” said Calamar.

Calamar originally came to CRC to coach women’s basketball. She coached for five years before being asked to become the women’s athletic director.

When asked to take the position, Calamar said she turned it down even though the dean told her it was her right to assign that position.

“I told her I’m not going to do it unless everyone votes for me and if everyone doesn’t vote for me I’m not going to do,” said Calamar.

Out of 108 athletic departments in California, there are less than 20 women in athletic administration.

Calamar is on multiple committees in both the conference and the state and said she had to be pushed at first to become more involved.

“People around the state kept telling me we need more women,” Calamar said. She further said that they believed she was knowledgeable and ultimately turned her name in.

She is now pushing for more women to become involved in athletic administration.

Because Calamar is in charge of eligibility for all the teams at CRC, she also updates coaches on rules and compliance. She additionally supervises home games and represents women’s community college basketball in the conference and the state.

Calamar is currently working with CRC Athletic Director Collin Pregliasco to write legislation that will change some of the eligibility rules for student athletes.

Pregliasco said he is proud that Calamar is being recognized by her peers.

“This is a huge honor and so well deserved, and shows the significant impact that she has and continues to be at the CCCAA and in the lives of our student athletes,” said Pregliasco. “I am fortunate to be able to work alongside such an incredible person.”

Admiration from her colleagues shows that she has put in the time and effort to make a difference.

“She’s an amazingly awesome athletic director and very good at what she does,” said Kinesiology Professor Minet Gunther. “She’s been doing it for years and she’s probably the most well-versed on state rules in athletics than anyone else I’ve ever heard of.”

Calamar said she likes working at the community college level and likes teaching her classes. She also said she likes the location of CRC and the demographic of the students that attend the school, so she doesn’t see herself moving anytime soon.