Assumption Appoints Seasoned Intercollegiate Athletics Professional Eric Gobiel as New Athletic Director
Assumption University’s Department of Athletics has announced the appointment of a seasoned intercollegiate athletics professional Eric Gobiel as its next director of athletics. Gobiel’s priorities will be to enhance the University’s student-athlete experience, increase enrollment and fundraising, and encourage department-wide competitiveness. Gobiel will assume his new position on June 1.
“Assumption University is renowned for an athletic program that is committed to academic and competitive excellence,” said Greg Weiner, interim president. “In appointing Mr. Gobiel as the University’s next director of athletics, Assumption recommits itself to an athletic program that provides student-athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest levels of NCAA Division II athletics and pursue an education that will awaken in them a sense of wonder and purpose. The University community looks forward to Mr. Gobiel’s leadership of the Department of Athletics and his contributions to increasing enrollment and fundraising and providing our student-athletes an exceptional experience.”
“I would like to thank President Weiner, Vice President Boffi, and the entire search committee for this incredible opportunity,” said Gobiel. “Assumption University is a truly remarkable institution and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to join such an amazing community. The future of Assumption University and Greyhound athletics is very bright and I plan to work diligently to ensure we continue to raise the profile of our athletic programs, coaches, and student-athletes on both a regional and national stage. I am greatly looking forward to working alongside our dedicated and passionate athletics staff to build upon the strong foundation that is in place. Together we will look to enhance and build an environment centered around our student-athletes with a commitment to being competitively successful across all our athletic programs.”
Gobiel currently serves as the director of athletics at Nichols College, a position he has held since July 2019. In his current position as director, he oversees all internal and external day-to-day operations of the department with 23 varsity athletic programs (21 NCAA Division III sports) and 80+ staff members, managing a budget of $1.5 million. He also oversees all athletics-related capital renovations and new construction projects, including an $8 million athletic field house renovation, a $1.2 million turf/track complex resurfacing, and baseball and softball field upgrades. In the past two years, he has raised $840,000 in support of the department and its student-athletes.
Prior to serving as Nichols’s athletic director, Gobiel was the men’s lacrosse head coach and assistant, then associate director of the athletics. In these positions at Nichols, he oversaw all aspects of student-athlete life (i.e., academics, residence life, judicial/behavioral hearing representative); initiated community service projects for department and student-athletes (including Shriners Hospital visits, Team Impact, SAAC food drives); and directed and taught the Bison Leadership Academy Series for student-athletes. He began coaching lacrosse in 2006 at San Dieguito Academy followed by similar positions at Northeastern University, Indoor Action Sports, Full Tilt Lacrosse, and Wakefield High School.
Gobiel holds a Master of Education with a major in special education from Fitchburg State University and a B.A. in communications from Plymouth State University.