Emily Orsini, Sports Editor–

Denison Athletics welcomed new Director of Athletics Matt Tanney, as well as a new Assistant Director of Athletics-Internal Operations and Intramurals Tiffany Ozbun, to the administrative staff this past summer, fully rounding out the athletic department leadership team. 

Before stepping into her new role, Ozbun spent 18 years as the head softball coach for the Big Red, where she compiled an impressive 372–256 record. When the assistant athletic director position opened, she saw it as an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

“It really started 20 years ago when I left college, knew that I wanted to coach, but just didn’t know what that looked like my whole life. And so I purposefully got my master’s in sport administration,” said Ozbun. 

“There was movement [in administration] that created the space [for this new role]. I wouldn’t say that I was purposefully looking for it at the time, but the timing of this was, well, you can’t say no to it.”

Ozbun oversees intramural athletics as well as compliance, such as game day and championship management. Within intramurals, however, Ozbun has some specific ideas in mind.

“Our vision for [intramurals] is to create a lot of opportunities for students who want to have that physical engagement in a sport and competition, as well as make spaces to create new friendships and new interests,” said Ozbun.

Alongside this vision, she also hopes to strengthen the connection between varsity athletics and intramural sports. Encouraging varsity athletes to participate in intramurals during their off-season, she sees an opportunity to bridge the two communities.

“In [student athletes’] off-season, the best way to support intramurals is by participating in programs, and bringing a friend or a roommate who’s maybe not on a varsity team and get them involved,” Ozbun added.

As a former varsity coach herself, Ozbun understands firsthand the challenges and responsibilities that come with leading a team. Now in her new role, she feels that responsibility has expanded beyond just her own players.

“Being a head coach you really get the opportunity to just focus on the student-athlete…you maybe have 30 people at a time that need to oversee. In my new role, there are 27 varsity sports that are relying on me to do my job well so their student athletes can participate,” said Ozbun. “There are a lot more people that are dependent on me doing my job correctly and well, so they can do theirs correctly and well.”

While Ozbun adjusts to her new responsibilities, she notes that the department’s direction under Tanney has already begun to take shape.

“[Matt Tanney] is pro-student…I don’t think we’ve been able to really see his full vision yet, but in a lot of the conversations that I’ve been a part of, the student and the student-athlete are at the forefront which is exciting,” said Ozbun.

Tanney, a Wabash College alum and former athletic director there, has spent nearly 20 years in collegiate athletics as both a student-athlete and administrator. Through his work in the NCAC alongside former Denison Athletic Director Nancy Carney-DeBord ’80, he became well-acquainted with the Big Red and what the athletic program stands for.

“You can have a really strong, competitive athletics program, but you can also have students that are really connected to campus. And I think that’s kind of what the magic is, right? Denison has that,” said Tanney.

Tanney has only been in his new position for roughly 60 days, but already has a vision he wants to execute for athletics, and bringing pride for the university to the forefront. 

“I want students to have that sense of, you know, school pride and support athletic teams and try to create some energy here, especially at the beginning of the semester,” said Tanney. “We’re distributing shirts to the entire student body. I want close to all 2,500 students to have a shirt.”

Tanney came into his role fully aware of the athletic excellence that exists on campus, and is shouting it from the rooftops of Mitchell Athletic Center. 

“There’s so much incredible success and talent here. I think sometimes we don’t talk about it enough,” said Tanney. “I want people to know when they walk in this building the level of competitive excellence that exists here. It’s incredible, and I just want to talk about it more.”

Tanney is big on branding— when you have an institution that excels so highly in both athletics and academics, how can you not be excited about promoting it?

“As Denison has become a more national brand as an institution, so has the athletic program. I think those two things have correlated very strongly. [A question I ask myself is] how can we continue to elevate the brand of Denison athletics nationally so that we’re continuing to attract students from coast to coast that can come here and have the type of experience that I know that not a lot of places can, right?”  

With this, Tanney also sees a future not just for athletics, but also for the integration of academics as well. 

“I think one of the strengths of Denison is the connectivity with the academic program and making sure that student athletes feel like they can study abroad and they can do internships and [go to class],” said Tanney. “Everybody [on staff] is so all in on the students’s academic experience.”

Relationships are central to Tanney’s approach as he steps into his new role at Denison, and his open-door policy reflects that commitment.

“And part of my message to [athletes] is that I’m around.

I’ve got a family, we live here in Granville. I’ve got twin daughters, actually, that are at a high school in Granville. My goal is to meet as many students as possible this year. And I’ve told people just be a little patient with me as I learn, try to learn 600 names,” Tanney said.

As Tanney and Ozbun begin their first semesters in their respective roles, Denison athletics is already off to a strong start. Both leaders are focused on fostering community, elevating the student-athlete experience, and building momentum for the future.

That momentum is already visible this fall, with standout performances from field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and football. For Tanney, that competitive edge lies at the heart of the program.

“We keep score over here, right? Yeah. We have scoreboards,” said Tanney.