Zundell, Snively Named to New Positions

In an effort to expand and elevate its athletic department, Fairmont State athletic director Scott Gines recently announced that two new positions are being created to better serve the needs of its fourteen sports.

In August, Adam Zundell will begin working as the director of athletic media relations and marketing. The position was previously called sports information director. A Fairmont native, Zundell comes from the University of Maryland where he has served as an assistant media relations director since 2003 and was responsible for media relations for men's soccer, wrestling, and women's lacrosse. Prior to that, he held a similar role at West Virginia University.

Zundell's responsibilities at Fairmont State will be the direction of department marketing and promotions programs, ticket sales campaigns, production of media guides and game programs, and providing coverage of all varsity sports and cheerleading. His primary coverage will be that of football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball.

Zundell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in creative writing, publications, and video production to the department. He has received national attention from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for publications and articles he generated. Since 2004, he also authored a bi-weekly college soccer column on ESPN.com.

Adam, his wife Kelly, and newborn son Drew will move to Fairmont in August.

At the same time Zundell moves into his new position, head men's and women's swimming coach Pat Snively will be adding a new role. He will serve as the assistant sports information director for Olympic sports. The new position will entail compiling statistics, writing press releases, and addressing the promotional needs of men's & women's tennis, cross country, golf, swimming and cheerleading. He has served as Fairmont State's sports information director on an interim basis since January.

Coach Snively will continue to coach and teach enters his sixth season in that role. As Fairmont State's head swim coach, he has been awarded the American Swimming Coaches Association Certificate of Excellence three times and was named the WVIAC Men's Coach of the Year in 2005.

The Falcon women have earned Academic All-American honors in each semester since 2001 from the College Swim Coaches Association of America. The men have set 16 new team records. They have achieved All-American status on 15 occasions, Academic All-American status twice, and Conference Swimmer-of-the-Year awards seven times. They have finished in the top 20 in the nation on four occasions.

The swimming programs will soon see an addition as well. The athletic department recently began a search for an assistant women's swimming coach that will also assist other women's Olympic sports by coordinating recruiting efforts and providing administrative assistance to these sports.

Snively and his wife Amy reside in Fairmont.