RIVER FOREST, Ill. --- Director of Athletics Pete Gnan, who has played an integral part in the development of Concordia University Chicago Athletics, has announced his retirement after 17 years, effective the end of the academic year. 
 
"We are grateful for Pete's service to the university and his commitment to Cougar Athletics over the past 17 years," said Kathy Gebhardt, Dean of Students and Vice-President for Student Success. "Pete has been a joy to work with and we wish him God's richest blessings as he moves on from CUC."
 
Gnan's time as the Director of Athletics has seen great success from the department. The creation of four new varsity athletic programs in his time are credited to the hard-work Gnan has put in. In his time he has seen great success for many programs including the baseball team, which had two NCAA World Series appearances, three regional championships, nine NCAA appearances, and one super-regional appearance, leading to three players selected in the Major League Drafts of 2009 and 2011.  The Cougars also saw multiple playoff basketball games hosted at CUC, most recently in 2022 after the men's basketball team secured the regular season championship with a 15-10 record, the highest since the 2010-11 season. The women's basketball team recorded a 16-win season in 2014-15, third-highest in the program's history and a record 14-win season and .700 percentage in conference play in 2016-17. The football team smashed several records while recording a perfect 10-0 regular season in 2012 and hosting a first-round NCAA Division III playoff game. The women's lacrosse program saw an 18-game win streak across three seasons (2019, 2020, 2021) while earning a spot in the conference tournament every year since the sport joined the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. In 2021, the men's soccer team tied the program record for wins which evened with the 2019 team. In their inaugural season in 2022, the STUNT team placed second at Division III STUNT Nationals. The track and field team secured three National Champions between 2021 and 2022.

In total, Gnan has overseen 43 All-Americans and numerous conference championships while students saw record-setting academic success and an overall increase in the number of student-athletes from 220 in the 2006-07 athletics year to over 400 in recent years. 
 
"Pete will be missed and we thank him, his wife Michele, and their children for their service to Concordia, and wish them all the best in the future," said Concordia University Chicago President Dr. Russell P. Dawn.
 
Concordia University Chicago is committed to continuing the success of the athletic department. Associate Director of Athletics Janet Wolbert will serve as the Interim Director of Athletics following Gnan's departure while the university decides on the timing of a search for a permanent Director of Athletics over the summer.