Anctil keeps hand on wheel
AD determined to make final seasons the same experience
College of Saint Rose athletic director Lori Anctil planned to retire at the school that hired her four years ago.
Her life changed on Nov. 30, when Saint Rose’s Board of Trustees voted to close the school at the end of the academic year because of financial problems caused by declining enrollment.
“I love it here,” Anctil, 48, said Wednesday. “I intended on just finishing my career here and all that. I love what I do. I love the people here, the student-athletes and, again, you just get so close to the people you work with. There was zero percent chance I was looking for another opportunity. But here we are.”
Anctil is leading the Golden Knights’ Division II program, which includes about 375 athletes on 19 men’s and women’s teams, through its final year.
“We’re not done yet,” she said. “We still have an opportunity to tell our story in the way we want to.”
Anctil left her job as an associate athletic director at Siena for Saint Rose in August 2019. Hired by former college president Carolyn Stefanco, Anctil said she knew there were financial challenges at Saint Rose when she accepted the position.
She remained optimistic until reading a Times Union article on Nov. 29, combined with president Marcia White’s announcement of a “community gathering” on Dec. 1.
“To get to this point and to build it up where I feel like it’s at a really good spot and then to find out that’s it, it’s over, has been tough,” Anctil said. “But what I’m holding on to is all the experiences I have had that have just made me a better person and a better athletic director. That’s the part that I’m focusing on right now.”
Anctil first spoke with her coaches, most of whom she hired, and administrators to let them know bad news was probably coming. Once it became official, she met with at least 300 athletes in a campus hall.
“I think it was important for them just to hear from me and know that I ultimately wanted what was best for them,” Anctil said. “It was tough to get through, though. It was emotional. I needed to give them information, too, that would be helpful for them as they were trying to figure out their next steps and the decision they were going to be making.”
Anctil said some athletes hugged her after the meeting and came to her office later to check on her. A baseball player offered to write her a letter of recommendation, which Anctil “thought was the sweetest thing.”
With Saint Rose’s fate sealed, Anctil said her first goal is to make sure the winter and spring sports teams have “full and robust seasons and don’t feel any difference from what they had in years past,” including full schedules and spring-break trips to games.
Anctil said while people around campus have already left for other opportunities, the athletic department doesn’t have a single vacancy yet. She has offered to help her employees find their next jobs. She and her coaches are helping athletes decide where they’ll transfer.
Saint Rose women’s basketball coach Will Brown said Anctil has been “non-stop” inquiring how he and his players are doing.
“I think Lori’s handled this as well as any athletic director could handle this,” Brown said. “There’s no book out there that tells you this is the right way to handle a situation like this. I think she was in shock. I think she was surprised and I think right now her priorities are the student-athletes and her staff. She’s selfless.”
Anctil reflected on the sacrifices she and others in her profession make — even at the expense of spending more time with her husband and children, ages 10 and 7. Brown recalled one day in October when Anctil caught both games of a soccer doubleheader off campus and returned twice to watch his team scrimmage.
Asked about her next step, Anctil couldn’t guarantee she’ll be at Saint Rose until the very end if the right job becomes available. Anctil, who played soccer at the University at Buffalo, had a hard time picturing herself leaving athletics and wants to stay in the area. Siena does have a listed opening for an associate athletic director.
“I’m not 100 percent sure at this point,” Anctil said of her future. “I’m trying to do the right thing here, but also take my own advice which I’m giving to others, which is, you’ve got to do what’s best for you. You’ll know when the timing is right.”