Inside Athletics

Susan Petersen Lubow was appointed Head of the Department of Physical Education and Athletics at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in July, 1990, after serving as Acting Head for one year. Her appointment marked the first time that a female has held the position of Director of Athletics at any of the U.S. Federal Academies.

"Our department strives to offer a variety of programs aimed to meet the competitive interests of all Midshipmen through our 22 varsity sports, intramurals, club teams, and physical education classes," says Petersen Lubow. "As a former head coach at the Academy, I am extremely proud of our rich athletic tradition, and I am equally determined to provide our Midshipmen with the best staff and facilities possible."

Petersen Lubow also became the first female to be head coach of a varsity men's team at any U.S. Federal Academy when she was appointed in 1979 to guide the men's and women's swimming and diving programs. Her men's and women's swimming and diving teams combined for a 148-67 record over the 11 years that she was at the helm. She coached 48 All-America male and female swimmers and divers, including both a men's and women's NCAA Division III individual National Champion.

On the administrative front, Petersen Lubow has been appointed to a number of committees in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), a Regional Conference comprised of 320 Division I, II, and III institutions. She has been the Chairperson of the ECAC Division III Football Committee, a position never before held by a woman, an Executive Board member, the Chair of the Marketing Committee, the Chair of the Swimming and Diving Committee, and the Chair of the Finance Committee. In the fall of 1998 she was honored by the ECAC as the 1998 Jostens Female Administrator of the Year.

On a national level, she is very involved with both USA Swimming and NCAA Swimming and Diving. She currently is serving as the Secretary and Rules Editor for the NCAA Division I, II and III Swimming and Diving Committee. Petersen Lubow served as the Head Manager for the 1998 World Swimming Championships, travelling with the USA National Team to Perth, Australia in January, 1998. In October, 2004, she was the head manager for the USA Short Course World Swim Team that hosted the World Championships (in Indianapolis) for the first time in history. Petersen Lubow has also devoted the summers of 1993-95 to the USA National Swim program, serving as Head and Assistant Manager. In 1993, she served as Assistant Manager for the Junior Olympic Development Team that competed in Paris, while in 1994, Petersen Lubow was the Head Manager of the USA Distance Camp at the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs, Colo. In 1995, she was the Assistant Manager at the Pan Pacific Games in Atlanta, GA.

Petersen Lubow, an honorary alumna of the USMMA Alumni Foundation, graduated from Springfield College in 1975 and earned her Master's Degree in Health Education from Hofstra University in 1979. Prior to her coaching, Petersen Lubow was a National competitor in A.A.U. age group swimming and an All-America swimmer in the 200 individual medley and the medley relay (1971-72) at Springfield where she also served as the team captain. She was inducted into Springfield College's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and the New York Metropolitan Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009.

 The Lubow family resides in Mill Neck, N.Y.