Kings Point, N.Y. – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation (AAF) announced that former U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Athletic Director Sue Petersen Lubow  inducted into the USMMA Athletic Hall of Fame on Sunday, August 10 at the Jericho Terrace in Mineola (N.Y.). She was the 107th person to be inducted into the USMMA Athletic Hall of Fame.

Petersen Lubow is one of the most accomplished administrators in the history of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. She stepped down from her Athletic Director position on March 21 after 25 years in the position. Her appointment in 1989 marked the first time that a female held the position of Director of Athletics at any of the U.S. Federal Academies. In the 25 years as Athletics Director, she expanded Kings Point Athletics to over 20 teams and helped develop the Blue & Gray Club, Athletic Hall of Fame, Blue & Gray Golf Classics and other numerous traditions and awards.

“Sue Petersen Lubow has touched the lives of thousands of midshipmen, alumni, coaches, faculty and staff during her tenure as Athletic Director and Swim Team Coach,” said AAF President Jim Tobin '77. “It is only fitting that a person like this have her own induction ceremony. She has had an extraordinary career at the Academy and has seen so many changes over the years while continuing to build a strong athletic program. It is becoming increasingly rare to have someone hold such an important position for so long at such a high performance level. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor than Sue.”

Hired in July 1979 as the Women’s Physical Education Instructor, she was named head coach of the men’s swimming & diving program a month later, becoming the first female head coach of any varsity men’s team at a U.S. Service Academy. She then established a women’s program at Kings Point. In 11 years, she guided both teams to a combined record of 148-67, 48 All-Americans and both a men’s and women’s NCAA Division III individual national champion.

On the administrative front, Petersen Lubow served on several committees in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a Regional Conference comprised of 320 Division I, II and III institutions. She was the Chairperson of the ECAC Division III Football Committee, a position never before held by a woman, an Executive Board member, Chair of the Marketing Committee, Chair of the Swimming and Diving Committee and the Chair of the Finance Committee. In the fall of 1998, she was honored by the ECAC as the 1998 Jostens Female Administrator of the Year. Most recently, she was recipient of the 2013 Katherine Ley Award given for outstanding leadership, the creation of programs and opportunities, and for being a great role model for women coaches and administrators.

On a national level, Petersen Lubow was very involved with both USA Swimming and NCAA Swimming and Diving. She served as the Secretary Rules Editor for the NCAA Division I, II and III Swimming and Diving Committee for 18 years. She served as the Head Manager for the 1998 World Swimming Championships, traveling with the USA National Team to Perth, Australia in January 1998. In October 2004, she was the Head Manager for the USA Short Course World Swim Team that hosted the World Championships (in Indianapolis) for the first time in history. Petersen Lubow also devoted the summers of 1993-95 to the USA National Swim program, serving as Head and Assistant Manager. In 1993, she served as Assistant Manager for the Junior Olympic Development Team that competed in Paris, and the following year, she was the Head Manager of the USA Distance Camp at the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs, CO. In 1995, she was the Assistant Manager at the Pan Pacific Games in Atlanta, GA.

Petersen Lubow, an honorary alumna of the USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation, graduated from Springfield College in 1975 and earned her Master’s Degree in Health Education from Hofstra University in 1979. Prior to her coaching, Petersen Lubow was a National competitor in A.A.U. age group swimming and an All-America swimmer in the 200 individual medley and the medley relay (1971-72) at Springfield where she also served as the team captain. She was inducted into Springfield College’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and the New York Metropolitan Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009.