His tenure was short but quite effective.

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Todd Garzarelli is leaving UW-Whitewater May 12 to take over the same role at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

“When the position opened up and presented itself, it was hard not to pursue,” Garzarelli said. “So for my family and me to be able to go back home to western Pennsylvania and be surrounded by family and friends and do what I love was hard to pass up.”

Interim Chancellor Cheryl Green released an email to UW-W students, faculty and staff stating Garzarelli’s departure April 10.

“Please join me in congratulating Todd on his next chapter and thanking him for his leadership and service to UW-Whitewater,” Green said in the email.

Garzarelli, who came from State University of New York at Buffalo, was hired on June 20, 2017, and Warhawk athletics enjoyed much success between then and now.

The gymnastics team won the NCGA championship in 2018 and fifth overall that year.

The Warhawks in addition won five conference titles and three conference tournament championships during Garzarelli’s tenure.

This past season, UW-W football clinched its unprecedented 36th WIAC title and reached the national semifinals for the first time since 2015.

“I am very excited for Todd and his family to have an opportunity to take the next step in his career and to be able to do it in Pennsylvania near their families and relatives,” football head coach Kevin Bullis said. “We greatly appreciate Todd’s service and commitment to UW-W and our athletic department over the past two years.”

The men’s basketball squad clinched its 21st consecutive playoff berth this past season after finishing the regular season 17-8 overall.

Not only did teams enjoy championships and accomplishments, but so did several individuals.

Just this past year alone, senior gymnast Franchesca Hutton won the national championship on the balance beam. Senior women’s basketball forward Olivia Freckmann was voted and competed in the first-ever Beyond Sports Women’s Collegiate All-Star Game last month. Senior men’s basketball guard Andre Brown became the 29th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

Former wrestler Jordan Newman claimed the national title in the 184-pound weight class in March 2018.

And those are just a few individual accolades.

Green stated in her email that over 700 student-athletes earned a cumulative GPA higher than a 3.0, in addition to several of them achieving WIAC Scholar-Athletes of the Year throughout Garzarelli’s time here.

UW-Whitewater will begin searching for a new athletic director once Garzarelli officially steps down near the end of the semester.

“The Warhawk student-athletes, coaches and staff have been tremendous during my tenure and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished over the past two years,” Garzarelli said. “With that said, I firmly believe UW-Whitewater athletics is positioned for continued success on the national stage for years to come.”