Besancenez Elevated to Assistant Athletics Director

LAKELAND, Fla. – Florida Southern College Director of Athletics and Dean of Wellness Drew Howard announced the promotion of Bethany Besancenez '19 to Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance and Academic Services. The former Florida Southern volleyball standout had served the previous two years as the Director of Compliance and Academic Services.
 
Besancenez will oversee the department's compliance and academic services offices while taking on additional administrative tasks. Throughout her time on campus, she has overseen academics, eligibility, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and served on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Team (EDIT) within the department while helping implement NIL and processing NLIs.

"I am thrilled and honored to be named Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance and Academic Services," said Besancenez. "With passion and dedication, I look forward to empowering our student-athletes, fostering a culture of excellence, and contributing to the continued success of our athletic programs. Go Mocs!"
 
Besancenez spent four years as a member of the Florida Southern volleyball team from 2015-18. She was a two-time AVCA All-American while also appearing on the AVCA All-South Region First Team twice. She earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors as a senior and was a four-time Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient. She currently sits second in the FSC career record book in assists with 5,285. She also ranks among the top-10 in career digs at FSC with 1,384, ranking just behind current Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Jill Stephens '95 who had 1,475 during her career.
 
Following her playing career, the St. Peters, Mo. native spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at North Park University in Chicago, Ill. prior to the global pandemic shutting down athletics worldwide. Besancenez explored options outside the athletics world as she served as a management trainee at Fortune 500 company Cintas in the spring and summer of 2021 before her alma mater came calling in August of 2021.
 
Besancenez is a 2019 graduate of Florida Southern College with a degree in business administration and sports business management. She received her Master's of Business Administration from North Park University in the fall of 2020.