News

ALBANY, N.Y. - Fredina M. Ingold, Director of Athletics at Penn State Altoona, has been named president elect and first vice president of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). The selection was made at the ECAC Annual Convention in Albany, N.Y. The announcement was made by ECAC Commissioner Rudy Keeling.

The ECAC is the nation's largest collegiate athletics conference, composed of 320 colleges and universities in Divisions I, II and III. A conference of conferences, the ECAC includes within its organizational structure six playing leagues and nine affiliate organizations. The conference office is located in the Asa S. Bushnell Center, located in Centerville, Massachusetts.

Ingold's term as first vice president will run from September 2008 to September 2010. She will then take over as president of the organization. Ingold also serves as chair of the ECAC Marketing Committee.

Serving Penn State Altoona in a variety of capacities for more than 30 years, Ingold comes from a unique athletic background and is a true pioneer in women's athletics.  Under her leadership, Penn State Altoona Intercollegiate Athletics successfully transitioned from junior college status to NCAA Division III provisional membership in 1998 to NCAA Division III full membership in 2002.  She has been committed to Penn State Altoona's students, her colleagues, and the University's mission of teaching, research and service. 

In various administrative capacities, Ingold has played a critical role in the growth and development of Penn State Altoona's intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports programs since joining the staff in 1977.  A former faculty member, she coached the women's varsity basketball and tennis teams, men's club golf and volleyball teams, and men's and women's swimming teams.  Currently Ingold is serving as a board member and President Elect for the ECAC and in 2009 will begin her term as a member of the NCAA Division III Management Council.

One of her most significant achievements has been the successful transition of the intercollegiate athletics program from junior college status to NCAA Division III membership.  However, Ingold‘s commitment to intercollegiate athletics goes beyond her current administrative duties.  She has recently created the "Fredina M. Ingold Intercollegiate Athletics Enhancement Endowment" at Penn State Altoona.  The enhancement endowment, the first at Penn State Altoona, will provide discretionary funds that are crucial to moving Intercollegiate Athletics forward in new and innovative ways­ways that will enhance the extracurricular experience for student-athletes satisfy the expectations of a cutting-edge coaching staff and provide attractive entertainment options for alumni and fans in the community.

In high school Ingold was a member of the first women's basketball team in which she served as the "rover." The rover was the only player that could travel the entire court and play both offense and defense.  A former student-athlete at Penn State Altoona and University Park, Ingold was a member of the first women's varsity volleyball and basketball teams at Penn State Altoona and a member of the varsity softball and first women's volleyball teams at Penn State University.  Ingold was also the first woman to be inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.   She received The Robert J. Scannell Roll of Honor award in 2002 for serving the Penn State Commonwealth Education System Athletic, Intramural and Recreation Programs with distinction.  Ingold is an accomplished racquetball player.  In 1988, she captured the North American Women's Masters Championship and the gold medal in mixed doubles at the U.S. National Championships.  She won Pennsylvania state titles in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Ingold resides in State College, with her husband, Rand Allison, and daughter, Taylor.