THROGGS NECK, NY – Bethann Burke has been appointed as Maritime College's 12^th Director of Athletics.  She comes to Fort Schuyler after more than a decade of coaching and athletics leadership at Goldey-Beacom College.  Burke was most recently Goldey-Beacom's Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator, as well as the head coach of the Lightning's women's basketball program.

As the Director of Athletics, she will oversee a department that features 14 varsity teams and nearly 400 student-athletes.  Maritime competes at the Division III level, primarily in the Skyline Conference.  The football program plays in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).  The College is also a member of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) and USA Rowing.

"I want to thank Admiral Okon, Captain Murphy, Dean Grohman, and the rest of the search committee for this opportunity," Burke said.  "When I stepped onto campus, I could tell this was a place I wanted to be.  Everyone I met was welcoming, and it was clear how much they care about their students.  That family atmosphere means a lot to me.  I'm looking forward to getting to know the student-athletes and coaches, supporting them in whatever way they need to be successful, and becoming part of the Maritime community."

While at Goldey-Beacom, she helped oversee an athletic department that serves more than 265 student-athletes across 13 varsity sports.  Her responsibilities included student-athlete academic success, sport and staff supervision, coach development, and collaboration with academic departments and campus partners.  Burke was also involved in strengthening systems for monitoring academic progress and connecting student-athletes with support.  Goldey-Beacom was tied for 12^th nationally among NCAA Division II schools in Academic Success Rate during her tenure.

In addition, she taught sports management classes at Goldey-Beacom for more than a decade.  Burke developed courses in Women In Sport and The Art of Coaching, bringing her experience as a coach and administrator into the classroom.

The winningest coach in Goldey-Beacom women's basketball history, she collected 127 victories as the Lightning's mentor.  Her teams made multiple Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament appearances, reaching the semifinals in 2019 and 2024.  In 2014, Burke guided Goldey-Beacom to the ECAC Championship Game.  She coached numerous All-CACC and CACC All-Academic honorees, as well as the program's first-ever CACC Rookie of the Year.

Burke's teams were also successful in the classroom.  In 2025-26, the Lightning posted a 3.79 team GPA, which the eighth-best nationally in Division II on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.  It was Goldey-Beacom's second straight time making the honor roll after ranking 22^nd in 2024-25.

She served three terms on the NCAA Women's Basketball East Regional Advisory Committee while also contributing to the CACC Hall of Fame and Championship committees.

Before joining Goldey-Beacom's staff, Burke was an assistant coach at Holy Family University for four seasons.  During that time, the Tigers posted a 108-18 record, made four NCAA Tournament appearances, and won back-to-back CACC championships (2012, 2013).  She began her coaching career with one year as a volunteer assistant at the University of Pennsylvania.

A three-year team captain at Chestnut Hill College, Burke graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Secondary Education.  She received a Master of Education from Cabrini College.  Burke and her husband, Dan, the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Wilmington University, have two daughters.