The announcement came in the form of an email to faculty and staff Friday morning from Jamestown CC president Daniel DeMarte.

“At the conclusion of an internal search, I am pleased to share with you (that) Mr. George Sisson has been appointed as JCC’s next director of athletics and recreation,” DeMarte said.

Sisson, who was the women’s basketball coach from 2012-15 and the men’s coach since 2015, fills the vacancy that had been occupied on an interim basis this fall by Greg Prechtl after former athletic director Keith Martin retired in August.

A 1983 graduate of Cassadaga Valley Central School, Sisson compiled a 59-28 record with the women’s program and was 50-40, including a trip to the NJCAA Region 3 Division II championship game in 2016. He is the owner of a bachelor’s degree from Roberts Wesleyan and a master’s degree from SUNY Brockport.

George Sisson compiled a 59-28 record with the women’s program and was 50-40 with the men, including a trip to the NJCAA Region 3 Division II championship game in 2016. P-J photo by Alex Shipherd

“George is passionate in his commitment to JCC and Jayhawk athletics,” DeMarte said in his email. ” … I am confident in time and with the proper resources, George will lead JCC’s athletic and recreation program through this critical transition.”

Sisson will oversee a department that currently features five men’s sports (baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and wrestling) and two women’s sports (basketball and volleyball). The volleyball team is playing for seventh place today at the NJCAA Division III Championships in Rochester, Minnesota.

Two sports — women’s soccer and swimming & diving — did not field teams this year.

“I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me,” Sisson said. “It’s a change from coaching a team to coaching a department. They felt like I was a guy that had the experience, personality and traits … they wanted to move in the next direction.

“That’s not to say that any of the directions have been bad. JCC athletics has been through tremendous growth. We’ve had a hiccup here recently. Now it’s my job to make sure that we get going back full strength and taking another step. There are definitely some challenges in our near future that are out there.”

Among those challenges, Sisson said, are looking at the sports that the college is offering and those it should consider adding; and the athletic facilities, both indoor and outdoor.

“It’s going to be something that’s going to become a high priority,” he said. “Between those two, that will keep me pretty busy.”

Sisson noted that in his conversations with DeMarte it was clear that the latter was “not about just throwing something out there to have someone in uniform. He’s about making sure we’re going to be excellent.”

“If we’re not going to be competitive to be good at everything we do here, why do we even do it?” Sisson continued. ” … There’s a reason why we’re one of the top (academic) junior colleges in New York state. We just want to make sure the athletic department falls in line with that. … It’s my job now to make sure that next year we’re a little bit better and the year after we’re a little bit better and we keep moving in that direction.”

With Sisson no longer directing the men’s basketball program, DeMarte has turned over that responsibility to former assistant coach Xavier Churnac on an interim basis. Jim Rissel and Travis Muntz will remain on staff as assistants. Churnac is a Jamestown CC and Edinboro University graduate, and serves as the college’s residence director at Hillside Suites West.