Staff Directory
- Title:
- Vice President for Athletics/Director of Athletics (Admin: FB, MBB, BSB, WFF)
- Email:
Brendan Fahey enters his second year as Vice President for Athletics/Athletics Director at Gardner-Webb after being appointed to the position in September 2025.
Fahey, a leader who inspires excellence in academics and athletics, comes to GWU after a championship-winning career at Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y. He has over 20 years of experience in higher education athletics with 15 years as a senior level administrator at the Division I level.
Fahey listed his goals for the GW Athletic Department and student-athletes: Athletic success, academic success, and the student-athlete experience. "Every decision, every resource allocation and every bit of energy we expend will be geared toward supporting those three goals," he emphasized. "We must chase each of these goals with competitiveness, thoughtfulness, integrity and have a never-ending desire to continue to improve each day. I also value and never lose sight of the reason that I am standing here today. And that reason is our student-athletes. I will invest a lot of time and energy in supporting our student-athletes towards excellence in competition and in the classroom."
In his first year in the Springs, the Athletics Department has experienced growth and success.
Some of the enhancements from Fahey's tenure include a complete renovation of the student-athlete weight room, locker room enhancements for Baseball, Women's Basketball, and Football. A Net Tuition Revenue Model to enhance growth and scholarship spend, an Alston Fund policy, and a department wide agreement with Influxer, the institutions first steps into the NIL landscape.
Fahey also announced the addition of women's flag football and acrobatics and tumbling to the Runnin' Bulldogs sport offerings.
On the field, the football team won 7 games tied for the most wins in the past 20 years, men's tennis captured the Big South Conference Championship for the fourth consecutive year, the men's soccer team reached a national ranking of #7, the first Gardner-Webb program to be recognized in the national top 10, while the softball team qualified for the Big South Conference Tournament for the first time in 8 seasons. Wrestling and Men's Track and Field also had individual NCAA qualifiers. As a department, the student-athletes had a cumulative gpa of 3.45.
Fahey became Wagner's athletic director in 2022, and in just three years, the Seahawks captured 10 Northeast Conference (NEC) championships, including a record-setting four titles in 2023–'24. His leadership delivered historic milestones such as the school's best-ever NEC Commissioner's Cup finish (second place in 2024–25), a men's basketball NEC Championship, and the program's first NCAA tournament victory. Also, the field hockey program secured its first-ever regular season championship.
While building competitive success, Fahey also emphasized academics and student support. More than 600 student-athletes were named to the NEC honor roll over three years, and 12 earned NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition. He implemented a student-athlete fueling station and added an athletic-specific mental health counselor to further enhance the student-athlete experience.
A native of Connecticut, Fahey earned his Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from the University of Connecticut and his Master of Science in Athletic Administration from Marshall University, where he also served as an athletic marketing graduate assistant. He began his career at Wagner in 2006 as assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions before advancing to deputy director of athletics in 2009, with responsibilities for both internal and external operations. He was also sport administrator for Wagner's first-ever conference championships in women's swimming and diving, women's lacrosse, and men's track and field. He was also responsible for adding eight sports over an eight-year period.
