Riverdale, N.Y. — Manhattan College Athletic Director Irma Garcia has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, as announced by the NCAA on Monday. Garcia’s appointment makes her the first ever administrator from the MAAC to work on the committee in the conference’s 43-year history. Her five-year term starts immediately and will end Aug. 31, 2029.
“I am thrilled to be selected as the MAAC representative on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee,” Garcia said. “This is without question an opportunity to elevate Manhattan College, our conference and Division I men’s basketball. I’m excited to get started working alongside my fellow committee members. The best is yet to come!”
Garcia is one of 12 members of the NCAA Division Men’s Basketball Committee which oversees a host of protocols and procedures related to the sport’s championships. Among their responsibilities, Garcia and her peers will be responsible for determining the 68-team bracket for the NCAA D1 Men’s Basketball Tournament. The group also finalizes plans for future NCAA Tournament sites, among other things.
“This is an extraordinary achievement for Irma,” said Milo Riverso, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College. “Every day she demonstrates what it means to be an exceptional leader through her commitment, her drive, her compassion and competitive spirit. I am excited for Irma and our entire Manhattan College community of Jaspers.”
Garcia carries with her previous experience working on an NCAA committee having served on the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee. The Brooklyn Native has experience working with Women Leaders in Sports, and has had leadership opportunities with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the Public Schools Athletic League of New York City.
Garcia has been recognized with a number of honors as a result of her dedication and service to others. In April 2023, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) at the All-Met Haggerty Awards Dinner. One month later, Garcia was inducted into the Basketball Old-Timers of America Hall of Fame as part of its 2023 Class alongside Jay Wright, Gene Doris, Jeff Ruland, and former Manhattan men’s basketball head coach Barry Rohrssen.
Prior to Manhattan, Garcia spent the previous four decades at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. After graduating from St. Francis in 1980 and playing four years on the Terriers’ women’s basketball team, Garcia held the positions of women’s basketball coach (1988-1999), associate athletics director (1999-2007), and athletics director (2007-2023) at her alma mater.
Garcia excelled in these different roles, as evidenced by her winning the 1998 NEC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year award, 2014-15 FCS Administrator of the Year award, and Division I-AAA Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year honors in 2016.
In 2007, Garcia became the first Latina to lead an NCAA Division I Athletics Department.
She began her tenure as Manhattan Athletic Director on Aug. 1, 2023 and her interim tag was removed in September 2023 by Riverso. In Garcia’s short time thus far in Riverdale, Manhattan student-athletes have shown a remarkable commitment to improving their skills both athletically and academically. Women’s basketball excelled with a cumulative 3.6 GPA for the Spring 2024 semester and the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs were named to the Scholar All-America Team sponsored by The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA). Additionally, men’s lacrosse goalie Connor Hapward ’24 was awarded the prestigious Joseph J. Gunn Alumni Medal, the highest undergraduate honor bestowed upon one student in every graduating class.
