IOWA CITY, Iowa — Beth Goetz was named athletics director at the University of Iowa on Thursday morning, the first time a woman has overseen the full department.
Goetz, 49, has served as interim athletics director since Aug. 2, 2023, following Gary Barta’s retirement. She was hired as deputy athletics director and chief operating officer for 11 months before replacing Barta.
It’s a historical move for Iowa, which was the first public university to admit men and women on an equal basis. The only woman to hold a similar role at Iowa was Christine Grant, who was women’s athletics director from 1973 through her retirement in 2001. The department merged following Grant’s departure.
Goetz currently is the only female athletics director in the Big Ten.
Goetz’s background
Goetz grew up in Florissant, Mo., and earned All-America recognition at Brevard College (N.C.) as a women’s soccer player. She was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
She transferred to Clemson, where she was a team captain as a starting midfielder in the program’s first season. Goetz became an assistant women’s soccer coach at Missouri-St. Louis in 1996 and then led the program as head coach from 1997-2008. She was inducted into the UMSL Hall of Fame in 2014.
Goetz served in administrative…
