On June 29, Saint Louis University brought in a new athletic
director, Cheryl L. Levick, to guide them through the upcoming
changes in Billiken athletics. A St. Louis native, Levick takes
over for former athletic director Doug Woolard. With the Billikens
scheduled for a move to the Atlantic 10 conference, and the plans
for an on-campus arena moving along, Levick comes in at an exciting
time for all fans of Billiken athletics.

According to Levick, those two aspects of her position at SLU”
offer an opportunity for me to lead and shape an exciting chapter
in Billiken history.”

Levick comes to the Bills after manning the same athletic
director post at Santa Clara University for the previous four
years.

There, she served as the first female athletic director at Santa
Clara, as well as in the West Coast Conference. Levick comes to
Saint Louis University with an impressive resume, but a few key
points will stand out, for most Billiken fans.

Levick oversaw major renovations of the SCU basketball arena,
managed an immensely successful capital campaign, added nine
additional athletic scholarships and led the SCU women’s soccer
team to the 2001 national championship.

Such achievements lead Billiken fans to believe that Levick can
make similar strides with Saint Louis basketball and soccer
programs.

Levick has been all over the country with different collegiate
programs, but is especially excited to come back home.

“I have fond memories of my family, Pattonville High School,
going to Cardinals games and the zoo, visiting the musicals at the
Muny and seeing performances at Fox Theatre. Though I will always
love the California beaches and enjoy a great Napa Cabernet, once a
month I would tell my daughters, ‘You know its time for a steak and
a Bud Light” Levick told reporters at her press conference.

Her roots run a little deeper than the Budweiser brewery. Levick
attended Pattonville High School, and coached gymnastics along with
track at Pattonville after graduating from the University of
Missouri.

She then moved onto the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach
in both gymnastics and synchronized swimming at Indiana University.
While coaching the Hoosiers, Levick earned her master’s degree in
athletic administration.

Levick’s journeys have taken her to Slippery Rock College in
Pennsylvania, working for the NCAA, the Pacific 10 conference and
Stanford University from 1977-2000, before finally taking over at
Santa Clara University.

Equally excited about Levick’s hiring was SLU President,
Lawrence Biondi, S.J.

“We have a great athletic program, and we’re getting great
athletic director,” Biondi said at the press conference.

Biondi takes pride in his student athletes and believes Levick
will uphold tradition of recruiting and developing only the finest
student athletes.

Said Biondi in the introductory conference, the SLU athletic
program’s goal is “to put the best possible team on the field and
on the court and continue the tradition of recruiting the finest
student athletes.”

The bar has been set with nine consecutive Conference USA
Institutional Excellence Awards, every year the conference has been
in existence.

That honor is bestowed upon the University in Conference USA
with the highest cumulative GPA among their student athletes in the
last academic year. Last year the Billikens achieved a cumulative
GPA of 3.23, keeping the winning streak alive.

Levick will certainly put recruiting only the upper echelon of
student athletes at the top her list.

Saint Louis University has always prides itself on its
performance not just in the game, but in the classroom as well, and
those goals and that mindset will not be lost in the Levick
regime.

Saint Louis University is heading into a turning point in its
athletic history, with a new arena and the move to a new conference
in the fold. When former athletic director Doug Woolard left for
the University of South Florida, the Billiken search team knew it
faced an important decision.

Committee chairperson Dr. Michael Ross thinks the Billikens
could not be in better hands. “Cheryl embodies the values of Saint
Louis University–[she] will provide the leadership for Billiken
athletics to achieve national prominence through competitive
success, academic excellence and integrity,” said Ross.

The Billikens plan to move arenas and conferences, while still
upholding the purity, integrity, and dominance that are synonymous
with Billiken athletics, and with Levick now settled in they appear
readier than ever to do just that.

Challenges will be abound, but based on the past, her tenure and
SLU’s athletic future look prospectively bright.