Dr. Gunning is the only inductee into the twenty-third Hall of Fame class. She announced her retirement, effective the summer of 2019, earlier this year. Speakers at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony included Dr. Raymond Heath, retired Vice President of Student Life, Nicole Malloy, Assistant Director of Athletics and Recreation for Internal Operations, Ann Boland-Chase, Vice President for Enrollment Services and Student Success, and Sister Mary Persico, IHM, President of the University.
In June 2019, Dr. Gunning was named the first-ever "Distinguished Service" honoree by the Atlantic East Conference. You can read the full release
here.
From 1992 through the end of the 2017-18 academic year, Marywood athletics was a charter member of the
Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC - formerly known as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference). Dr. Gunning was one of the founding members when the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference was formed in 1992.
Most recently, Dr. Gunning led the Pacers in the transition to the newly formed
Atlantic East Conference, in which they began competition in 2018-19 and would become the
Atlantic East Conference's Women's Commissioner's Award winner for having the highest ranking women's program in the conference. Overall, the Pacers finished second in the Mike Drass Award race for overall athletic excellence among conference teams.
Gunning was also instrumental in Marywood becoming members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in 2010, providing Marywood teams more post-season playoff opportunities. Marywood's women's soccer team won the ECAC South Region Championship in 2010, the University's first post-season tropy. Five other teams have gone on to ECAC "Runner-Up" finishes in Gunning's tenure while 10 individuals have been crowned ECAC Champions between Indoor Track & Field (six) and Outdoor Track & Field (four).
"Dr. Gunning has been the driving force behind Marywood athletics for nearly three decades, overseeing a period of tremendous development in the athletics and recreation area," said Ann Boland-Chase, Vice President for Enrollment Services and Student Success, whose department oversees athletics. "In addition to her duties at Marywood, Dr. Gunning has shared her expertise by serving on NCAA Division III committees and as past president of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference and is well-respected among her peers."
Through the 2017-18 academic year, Marywood teams captured 40 CSAC/PAC championships and earned 45 runner-up finishes. In addition, women's golf won the inaugural Landmark Conference Championship in 2018, bringing the Pacers total of conference titles to 41. Women's Soccer won the ECAC South Region Championship in 2010, the school's only post-season tournament championship.
In 2018-19, Marywood teams captured five Atlantic East titles (Women's Soccer, Women's Cross Country, Men's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field, Men's Track & Field) and were Runner-Up on three other occassions (Women's Lacrosse, Women's Golf, Men's Golf). Women's Golf also earned a Landmark Championship in 2017-18.
Inclusive of Marywood's post-season performances within the Atlantic East in 2018-19 and with affiliations in the Landmark Conference, the Pacers have earned 46 conference championships and 51 runner-up finishes under Gunning's leadership.
In 2010-11, for the first time in athletics program history, Marywood earned all three CSAC President's Cups, sweeping the competition for the Overall, Men's and Women's Awards. The President's Cup is awarded annually by the conference to the Men's, Women's and Overall athletics programs with the highest competitive percentage rating, based on championship finish and regular season play. That academic year, the Pacers took home the conference championships in men's tennis and women's cross country while finishing runner-up in women's lacrosse, men's lacrosse, men's cross country and men's soccer. Marywood won the Women's President's Cup again in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2016-17, and finished second overall in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.
"Mary Jo Gunning richly deserves acknowledgment and praise as she finishes her exceptional career at Marywood" said retired Vice President of Student Life Dr. Ray Heath, Gunning's supervisor for the majority of her career. "The major growth of the intercollegiate athletics program – sports sponsored; facilities constructed; coaches and staff appointed and supervised; and, polices developed – under her supervision enhanced the university in many ways."
Through the 2018-19 academic year, 1,295 Marywood student-athletes have earned All-Conference (PAC/CSAC/Landmark/Atlantic East) honors, including 477 First Team, 472 Second Team, 15 Third Team (Track & Field only from 2015-2018) and 331 Honorable Mention selections. An additional 217 student-athletes earned recognition on All-Sportsmanship teams for various conferences. Twenty eight (28) athletes have been recognized as the Player of the Year for their respective sport while another 17 have been named the Conference Rookie of the Year. Two student-athletes (one male, one female) have been named the ECAC Player of the Year while one female earned ECAC Rookie of the Year honors. In all, 35 student-athletes have been named to All-ECAC teams.
Eleven (11) Cross Country runners (four male, seven female) have won the individual championship and three golfers (three male) have won medalist honors as the top finisher at the Conference Championships. 56 athletes have been lauded as Regional All-Americans while 10 athletes have earned National All-American status. Pacers' coaches have also been awarded Conference Coach of the Year honors an impressive 61 times.
Equally important to Dr. Gunning is all of the athletic honors Pacer student-athletes received during her tenure. Her leadership resulted in 2,890 Marywood student-athletes earning All-Conference Academic Honor Roll status (minimum 3.2 GPA). Three athletes have earned CoSIDA National Academic All-American status, 15 athletes have earned CoSIDA Regional Academic All-American status, seven athletes (three male, four female) have been named the Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Year and three more (one male, two female) have earned NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. Various coaches' organizations have recognized 152 athletes as National Academic Honorees and another nine athletes as Regional Academic honorees. Marywood also earned the CSAC Institutional Excellence Award in 2014-15 and 2015-16 for having the highest GPA as an athletic department across the Conference and has had 24 teams earn Conference Team Academic Awards (highest GPA per competing sport) between the CSAC and Atlantic East since the award was introduced in 2013.
Gunning has also overseen a massive expansion of Marywood's athletic facilities during her tenure. The $14 million Center for Athletics and Wellness offers state-of-the-art fitness, recreation, and athletic opportunities and includes a premier fitness center, a climbing wall, an elevated running track, a dance/aerobic studio, an arena to showcase Pacer Sports, and high tech athletic training areas. Outdoor athletic facilities include six tennis courts, a sand volleyball court and basketball courts. The baseball and softball fields are some of the finest in the region and the multipurpose natural grass field has undergone a major renovation which includes laser-leveling, an irrigation system and new grass mixture. The lit synthetic turf facility received new turf in the summer of 2017 and is utilized by many outdoor sports, as well as recreation programs. A $5 million plus Aquatic Center opened in May 2011. It is an eight-lane facility with 3- and 1-meter boards, inclusive of team rooms, a safety center and spectator area.
Prior to taking over her current position, Dr. Gunning was active in Marywood athletics as an intern in conjunction with the University of Scranton, assisting with athletic administration in addition to aiding the revision of the Health and Physical Education curriculum. She has also served as a graduate assistant in Physical Education at Temple University and as the Recreation Director and Activities Assistant at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, as well as an Exercise Physiologist at Warminster General Hospital in Warminster, Pa.
An active leader in both her profession and community, Dr. Gunning's memberships include, among others, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors, and the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators. Formerly the president of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, Gunning has previously served on numerous NCAA Division-wide and Division III committees, including, among others, with leadership roles on the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, the Division III Management Council, the Division III Infractions Committee and the Division III Legislative Committee.
Dr. Gunning earned a B.A. in Health and Physical Education from Marywood in 1979, and obtained her M.A. in Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine from the University of Maryland in 1981. In 1991, Dr. Gunning completed her Ed.D. in Sports Administration at Temple University. She was named Temple University's Administrator/Alumni of the Year in 2007 by its School of Sports Administration and Hospitality. She resides in Lake Ariel with her husband Rick MacGregor.
*Bio updated through 2018-19 academic year statistics (8/29/2019)
