CSUN Top 10 – No. 1 Shawn Chin-Farrell Named Director of Athletics

From June 20 to July 24, GoMatadors.com will present its top 10 CSUN sports moments from the 2022-23 year. At No. 1, CSUN names Shawn Chin-Farrell the 10th Director of Athletics in the 64-year history of Matador Athletics. 

 
On Sept. 16, 2022, CSUN President Erika D. Beck announced the hiring of Shawn Chin-Farrell as the new Director of Athletics for the Matadors after a nationwide search. 
 
Chin-Farrell came to CSUN from Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB), where he has led the Coyotes' program as Director of Athletics since 2017. Chin-Farrell assumes leadership of CSUN's NCAA Division I athletics program, which includes 325 student-athletes competing in 19 sports within the Big West Conference, in mid-October. 
 
"Shawn's accomplishments and commitment to excellence across all aspects of the student-athlete experience make him the right leader for our program at this pivotal time in college athletics," Beck said. "I am confident he will increase engagement with the student body, faculty, staff, alumni and the community, while maintaining a keen focus on the growth, well-being and success of our tremendous student-athletes—in the classroom, on the field of play, and in their extracurricular activities."
 
Chin-Farrell became the 10th Director of Athletics in the 64-year history of CSUN Athletics.
 
"I am excited to have the opportunity to lead the Matador Athletic program; together we will build a sustainable, winning program that serves as a model for the comprehensive student-athlete experience," Chin-Farrell said. "The foundation of our success will be authentic alignment with the CSUN community's core values of student success, equity and inclusion."
 
After being named Director of Athletics in July 2017, Chin-Farrell has led a renaissance in CSUSB Athletics. He and his staff focused on a student-athlete centered mission with a commitment to the shared core values of "champion student-athletes, champion people, and champion performance."
 
Since his arrival at CSUSB, the Coyotes have enjoyed success on the field of play in the form of an undefeated national championship in women's volleyball in 2019 but most important, under his leadership, CSUSB student-athletes achieved a school record collective 3.35-grade point average. 
 
Under Chin-Farrell's leadership, the Coyotes' men's soccer team reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2019 finishing with a No. 5 national ranking. Nine of 10 CSUSB teams qualified for postseason competition while multiple student-athletes garnered All-America honors including student-athlete Alexis Cardoza, who was named Women's Volleyball NCAA Academic All-America of the Year. Over his five years in San Bernardino, eight student-athletes were named NCAA Academic All-American.
 
Cal State San Bernardino athletics has enjoyed a dramatic increase in athletics annual revenue from fundraising and corporate sponsorships under Chin-Farrell's watch. The program also saw numerous facility milestone achievements including a $1.5 million renovation of Coussoulis Arena, a six-figure gift creating a dedicated student-athlete academic center and locker room renovations for men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and baseball. The school also built an all-sports team video and meeting room, established an indoor golf range, added dedicated batting cages for softball and baseball, improved seating for soccer and softball, and completed a new roof for the university's Sports Performance Center.
 
"I've known Shawn for several years as a colleague in the CCAA conference," said Earl W. Edwards, Director of Athletics at UC San Diego. "During that time Shawn demonstrated strong leadership and interpersonal skills that makes him a great choice to become the athletic director at CSUN."
 
Prior to his arrival in San Bernardino, Chin-Farrell spent nearly nine years in athletics administration at Seattle University. He served in a senior leadership role from 2008-2017 as the school made the transition to NCAA Division I. He took on increasing responsibility, overseeing every aspect of the department, ultimately being named interim Athletics Director in 2016.
 
After receiving his law degree from the University of Washington in 1998, he practiced law in Seattle for several years where he was honored as a "Rising Star" attorney multiple times and nominated as a "Super Lawyer" by a local publication. Chin-Farrell then transitioned from law into intercollegiate athletics in 2004, where he began working at his law school alma mater, the University of Washington. He went on to serve as the Huskies' Associate Compliance Director when he moved across town to Seattle University in 2008.
 
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