Ann Pierson has been the Director of Athletics at Principia College since 2019. She brings extensive coaching experience ranging from high school students to Olympic athletes. Pierson specializes in track and field, but also has experience coaching basketball and tennis, and designing strength and conditioning programs. She started her track and field coaching career at Princeton University and gained administrative experience when she served as Director of Athletics and Physical Education at The Lewis School in Princeton, New Jersey.
Pierson’s love for Principia College is evident as she previously served as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Assistant Track & Field Coach from 1995-2000, as well as the Head Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach from 2000-2006. During that time, two of her teams won the USCAA Championship, one was the runner up, she had teams place 12th and 18th at the NCAA DIII National Championships. Since returning to Principia, Pierson has continued assisting the field athletes on the Track & Field team and has helped three athletes shatter long-standing school records. In total, Pierson has trained five athletes that earned NCAA All-American Honors.
Pierson’s love of athletics goes well beyond coaching and turning athletes into all-stars. She also has a love for higher education which is evident in many roles she has taken on. She served as a professor at Principia College where she taught Sport Management. She also served at the Coaches Education Curriculum Design Workshop at the US Olympic Training Center. Pierson was part of a small team of coaches and sport scientists devoted to developing the USA Track and Field Coaches Education Curriculum. They developed a tiered coaching certification program and committed to teaching core courses throughout the country.
Pierson had a storied athletic career in her younger days. She was a New Jersey High School standout who earned 12 varsity letters and captained her field hockey, basketball and track teams. Her high school teams won conference, county, and state championships. Her strongest field event was the high jump where she was a Junior Olympic Champion and an AAU National Runner Up. Pierson attended the University of Virginia where she competed in basketball and track & field. She was a starter on the basketball team, where she helped lead her team to an ACC regular season title in 1981. That same year, Pierson was a member of the National Championship UVA Track & Field team. In 1983, she captained the T&F team to an ACC Championship where she won the individual title in both the high jump and the heptathlon. She was the runner-up in the high jump at the NCAA National Championships in both 1981 and 1983, earning All-American honors. She was also the Olympic Festival Champion in 1982, took 6th place in the World University Games in 1983, and was an Olympic Trials Finalist in 1984.
Pierson believes in the model of the student-athlete. She believes in striving to demonstrate excellence in the classroom and in the athletic arena. This belief is evidenced by some of the awards Pierson earned over the years. She was selected for recognition by The University of Virginia and by the Atlantic Coast Conference for excellence in the classroom and in her sport. In 1983, she won the Lou Honesty Scholar Athlete award from the University as well as the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year. In May of 2008, Pierson was given the Founders Award for excellence in teaching and service.
Pierson earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree at UVA in Political Science and Social Thought, and she went on to earn her Master’s Degree from the University of Southern Illinois, Edwardsville in Sports Administration.
Curriculum Vitae
Ann Pierson CV
