Phil Stern has served as the Director of Athletics and Recreation for the University of Mount Saint Vincent since April of 2020 and enters his sixth year in the upcoming academic year as the leader of the division.
UMSV has achieved unprecedented success in Stern’s years of leadership. Stern started making a difference while leading the department through the pandemic, making sure the health and safety of our student-athletes and staff was the top priority while serving on several committees across campus.
Stern has managed several facility upgrades during his tenure. Beginning in the summer of 2020, Stern oversaw the renovation of the Peter Jay Sharp Center locker rooms. The project included four new home locker rooms including lockers, television monitors, white borads showers and bathrooms, along with two general locker rooms and two officials locker rooms.
Stern then guided the rebranding effort for the Peter Sharp Athletic Center, giving the athletic department a new, uniformed look. The New Gym - the home of the Mount's men's and women's basketball and volleyball programs - received an upgraded basketball court design with logos and lines. It also included all new championship banners to be located in a more visually appealing way. Most prominently, the Sharp Center lobby was rebranded to show off the present and future of UMSV Athletics.
As the 2020 academic year began, Stern was responsible for adding full-time positions to the department. He hired the first full-time men’s soccer coach and first full-time men’s lacrosse coach. Both positions saw immediate success by improving roster sizes and student-athlete experience while the men’s soccer program won its first Skyline Conference Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Stern also hired two full-time athletic trainers and bolstered the Sports Medicine profile by partnering with NYU-Langone Hospital.
Stern immediately improved the fundraising profile of the department by implementing the inaugural Athletic Department Golf Outing. Drawing interest from both alums, friends and boosters, the first outing generated over $22,000 to enhance the student-athlete experience.
Stern also oversaw the new Athletic Department Banquet called "The Dolphys." The awards dinner brought together student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and campus constituents to celebrate achievements on and off the field. The event continues to grow and give our student-athletes the adoration they so greatly deserve.
The Hall of Fame Dinner has become a stand alone event thanks to the efforts of Stern. Moved off of Homecoming Weekend, the ceremony now routinely has over 100 guests. In 2022, Stern led the charge in naming an all-women class in conjunction with the celebrations around the 50 Year Anniversary of Title IX.
Stern serves on several committees across campus and is currently the Skyline Conference Representative on the Women’s Basketball Region 3 Ranking Committee. He also serves as the SAAC Advisor for the athletic department, and in the summer of 2020, created the Dolphin Difference Committee, made up of student-athletes from all teams to fight social injustice.
In 2022, Stern announced the year-long celebration to highlight the 50th Anniversary of Title IX. Each women’s team received new away uniforms from the department, feature videos were added to the website and celebrations were had a select games.
Perhaps the biggest contribution by Stern was raising the funds and partnering with Manhattan Soccer Club to transform Marillac Field from grass to turf. The long awaited project included a new turf field for our men's and women's soccer and lacrosse programs, along with lights, press boxes and new bench coverings.
Phase 2 of the project included a concession stand and restrooms next to the field. The first game on the new field was played in October of 2022.
On the field, Stern oversaw the most successful year to date, with nine teams making the Skyline Conference Playoffs, five teams advancing to the Skyline Conference Semifinals and the men’s soccer program winning its first Skyline Conference Tournament Championship while advancing to its first NCAA Tournament.
Academically, the department thrive. The department has boasted a 3.0 cumulative GPA in each semester that Stern has been in charge.
Stern has made good on his commitment to increase roster sizes in each sport and continues to look at different avenues to increase the number of student-athletes the department brings to the College. He has implemented Front Rush software within the department and increased recruiting budgets for each program. Most importantly, he has given each head coach an opportunity to better themselves through professional development.
Stern originally arrived at the Mount in 2019 as the head women’s basketball coach and Associate Athletic Director. Stern took over a program that went 6-17 prior to his arrival and helped bring it back to prominence. Stern’s first season with the Dolphins saw the team go 14-11, including an 12-8 mark in the Skyline Conference, en route to a semi finals appearance in the Conference playoffs. Stern also helped guide senior guard Dar’Neisha Brice to a First Team All-Skyline award. During the season, Stern earned his 300th victory as a collegiate coach. His second season continued to take the Dolphins towards the top of the Skyline Conference, finishing 18-6 with an impressive 15-5 Skyline Conference record, good for a third place regular season finish. The Dolphins hosted a first round playoff game and earned an exciting 77-73 win over Farmingdale State to advance to the semifinals. Senior Victoria Hanley and junior Amber Been both earned First Team All Skyline honors. The season also saw an NCAA first, as Stern’s squad faced off against Rutgers-Newark, coached by his wife, Ashley Cieplicki.
Before his time in Riverdale, Stern put together a fantastic and accolade-filled career at Division I University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Stern, who had had 23 years of head coaching experience, departed UMBC as the school’s all-time wins leader. He led the program to an America East regular season championship and an America East Tournament championship, as well as the program's first NCAA Tournament, First WNIT and two WBI tournament appearances. Stern also saw two of his teams ranked in the WBCA Academic Top 25, the Mid Major Top 25 as well as taking home America East Coach of the Year honors in 2011.
Stern also made two separate stops at the Division II level, where he worked as the head coach for both the University of South Carolina Aiken and Dowling College. He was the driving force behind USC Aiken, where he was twice named Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year, won two Peach Belt North titles and one Peach Belt Regular Season title. Stern led the Pacers to the NCAA Tournament in 2002 and the team's were ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 25 poll on several occasions. Academic accolades followed, as his USC Aiken squads were ranked in the Division II WBCA Academic Top 25. At Dowling College, Stern led the team to its first winning season in program history and an ECAC tournament appearance.
A native of Oceanside, New York, Stern earned his bachelor of arts degree in business education from Concordia College. He was inducted into the Oceanside High School Hall of Fame in 2018. He currently resides in River Vale, NJ with his wife Ashley Cieplicki and the couple's two dogs, Stella and Artie.
