Petrina Long was hired as the new UCLA associate athletic
director and senior women’s administrator, replacing longtime
administrator Betsy Stephenson.
Before being hired on Friday by UCLA Athletic Director Dan
Guerrero, Long held the same position at UC Irvine, where Guerrero
was the athletic director until 2002.
Stephenson will leave UCLA in June to take over the athletic
director position at Emory.
“I am excited to be a part of an outstanding athletics
management team at UCLA,” Long said in a press release.
“Working at UC Irvine has been the best part of my career,
and I wouldn’t leave for any job except the chance to be
reunited with Dan Guerrero. And to work at an institution with
UCLA’s athletic and academic reputation was an opportunity I
could not pass up.”
While Long and Guerrero were at UC Irvine, Long oversaw many
operations, like academic and student support, compliance and
sports medicine.
“Petrina is an outstanding fit for UCLA,” Guerrero
said in a press release. “She possesses outstanding
management skills and builds outstanding working
relationships.”
Long has also previously served on the executive committee of
the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, a conference many of
UCLA’s Olympic sports teams are in.
Among the sports that Stephenson oversaw were softball,
gymnastics, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s
volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer, sports Long
will likely take over.
“I talked to her when Dan got the job, and asked her what
kind of a boss he is,” Stephenson said. “She was very
helpful to me then. It’s kind of ironic now.”
“There’s no doubt that (Long) will come in here, and
she’ll continue and we’ll continue to enjoy the success
and the growth that is important in this university,” UCLA
softball coach Sue Enquist said. “I’m excited, but at
the same time it’s sad that Betsy (Stephenson’s) moving
on. She really left her mark on this program ““ there’s
no doubt.”
With reports from Noah Grand, Bruin sports
reporter.