Marlee Berg-Haryasz '09, a Journey from Student-Athlete to Assistant Athletic Director

Marlee Berg-Haryasz '09 is an accomplished Westfield State track and field alumnae who has found her way back to Westfield. Since returning to the nest in 2016, Berg-Haryasz is impacting future Owl student-athletes in her role as the assistant director of athletics for recruitment, retention & student-athlete well being.

She reunited with her Owl Athletics family as part of an NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship Grant, a two-year grant program that provides funding for entry-level administrative positions at NCAA Division III schools and conference offices to encourage access, recruitment, selection and the long-term success of ethnic minorities and women.

Her position was made permanent at WSU in 2020. She now continues to support all current and future Westfield State student-athletes through recruitment, retention, and well-being efforts and also serves as an assistant coach for the Track and Field program and as an advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Berg-Haryasz graduated from Westfield State in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, public & corporate relations. She earned a Master of Science degree in exercise & sports studies from Smith College, where she served as a graduate assistant coach from 2010-12, and served as an assistant track and field coach at UMass Lowell (2012-13) and at Brandeis University (2013-16).

Read more about her journey, from student-athlete to assistant athletic director and coach, here.