Associate Athletic Director Keith Hackett’s resignation announcement seems to be the current trend in the NIU athletic department.

On May 11, Associate Athletic Director for Development Tom Mitchell halted his duties to move over to the university side of things, taking Tom Montiegel’s position of vice president for Development and University Relations.

These two moves add to former Assistant Athletic Director for Promotions and Marketing Mary Mihelich’s decision to take another position earlier in the 1991-92 school year.

Add to that a resigned wrestling coach and an opening for a new women’s soccer coach. That’s five personnel moves in the last semester.

Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell said that Director of Sales John Penny has taken over Mihelich duties on a one-year interim basis, while a name is forthcoming for Penny’s opening.

As far as Hackett and Mitchell’s positions, O’Dell said the search has already begun to fill both voids. The AD did say that no outside search services will be used for any of the openings. Raycom was a service that O’Dell utilized for previous coaching vacancies.

Ex-wrestling coach Ed Vatch’s position is going to be filled by assistant Phil Rembert for the 1992-93 campaign and although no timeline has been set for the hiring of a women’s soccer coach, O’Dell expects to have one by the fall or after the first of the year.