MTSU Deputy AD Diane Turnham has spent many a Saturday in the Murphy Center watching the Blue Raiders or the Lady Raiders play on the court in front of her. While on her phone or her laptop had other women's basketball games from around the country Turnham was keeping tabs on as part of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee.
Now that she's a member of the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country Committee, however, Turnham won't have to make those hard decisions on who makes the NCAA Tournaments every year.
"It's not the same kind of work as some of the other committees, because I had to watch a lot of basketball games," Turnham said with a smile. "But obviously in track, it's times. So, we don't necessarily pick the teams, but we run the championships."
The work of the Track and Field Committee may be a bit more subtle to the public than the other three sports committees Turnham has served on in her decades with MTSU (volleyball, women's soccer and women's basketball), but is no less important for how the sport is run every year.
Beyond selecting championship sites, there's also discussions to be had on qualifying procedures, officiating changes, technological advancements, among a host of other pressing issues that the committee reviews every summer during their annual meeting.
Having someone from MTSU on these committees, Turnham notes, can also open doors for the Blue Raider track program down the line.
"I think it enhances our ability here at Middle to schedule better programs when they know that you have someone on the committee," Turnham said. "It helps us make contacts we might not normally be able to make. It prepares our runners to be competitive."
Turnham came to be on the committee thanks to Conference USA, who reached out to her after the conference's most recent representative, Natasha Oakes, left the University of North Texas to take the position of Senior Associate Athletics Director/SWA at West Virginia University.
Committee spots are typically tied to conferences rather than individual schools, which meant that Conference USA was in danger of losing their representation on the committee if someone didn't step up. Turnham, with her prior experience on a wide variety of sports committees, was a top choice.
"Any time our conference can have a say in how these committees are run, it's important," Turnham said. "Everyone talks about the Power 5 conferences and they certainly have great influence. So any time a conference such as Conference USA can be a part of that group, I think it's important."
Turnham will get to experience her first NCAA Championship as a member of the committee this weekend in Oklahoma City, Okla., where the 2022 Division I Cross Country Championships are to be run this Saturday.
"It's one of those things that's an honor, certainly," Turnham said. "But it's also giving back to our sports and the things that we love for our athletes to be a part of."
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