DePaul University Athletics
Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto Earns Women Leaders in College Sports Lifetime Achievement Award
8/16/2023 10:50:00 AM | ATHLETICS
Jean Lenti Ponsetto retired following an illustrious 42-year career where she was a driving force behind the unprecedented expansion and development of DePaul's athletics program. She began her athletic career as an assistant women's basketball coach and head softball coach after having been a four-sport student- athlete participating in basketball, tennis, softball and volleyball. She transitioned into athletics administration in 1982 and, after years of working through the ranks, was promoted to Director of Athletics in 2002.Â
During Jean's tenure, 14 of the 15 Blue Demon programs represented the school in 57 NCAA team championships as either conference champions or at-large selections along with 154 NCAA individual championships appearances, – including 17 straight NCAA appearances by the women's basketball program and two trips to the Women's College World Series for the softball program.
Among Jean's many strategic priorities, student-athlete academic success and career planning ranked chief among them. Under her leadership, the Blue Demons garnered 80 NCAA APR Awards, 34 Academic All Americans, and led the Big East in team Academic Excellence Awards and Scholar Athletes of the Year.
Jean also served the intercollegiate athletics community with a combined 62 years of service including multiple years simultaneously on more than one NCAA Committee and/or affiliate organization highlighted by leadership roles, including Vice Chair of the NCAA Council and notably as Chairperson of the NCAA Championships Cabinet, the NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Committee, the NCAA Women's Basketball Oversight Committee and Collegiate Women's Sports Award. Due to her basketball expertise, she also served on numerous NCAA committees. Most immediate to her retirement, she served on the NACDA Board of Directors as 1st Vice President and was President Elect (2021). As well, Jean is a past President (2006) and board member of Women Leaders in College Sports.
Jean has earned several awards for her outstanding work at DePaul and for leadership serving the NCAA members and student-athletes including two NACDA Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Awards (2009, 2016), Women Leaders in College Sports Administrator of the Year Award (1998, 2003), NACDA Builders Award, WBCA Administrator of the Year Award (1998, 2017) and the WBCA President's Award (2017) for her innumerable contributions to the sport on a national level.
Jean is a member of the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame, the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and the National Italian American Hall of Fame and the National Association of Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame. Her work within the Chicago sports scene has been duly noted, Jean was named one of the top 100 most influential women in Chicago by the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2023 Jean was awarded NACDA IAAA ADA Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award and the Collegiate Women Sports Award's Dr. Judie Holland Legacy Award for her tenure in preserving the oldest awards program for the nations most outstanding collegiate women athletes.
