Athletic Director Tom Curle To Depart In May 2022

RALEIGH, NC – William Peace University Athletics announced the departure of Athletic Director Tom Curle in May 2022. Curle will finish the 2021-22 academic year. Deputy Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Claude Shields will serve as the Interim Athletic Director following Curle’s departure while continuing to serve as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach.

Tom Curle reflected on his time with the Pacers, saying, “As I search for positions outside of athletic administration, I am grateful to Dr. Ralph for giving me the opportunity to serve as athletic director at William Peace University. I will miss the interactions I enjoyed with coaches, staff and student-athletes at William Peace and believe they are well situated to compete for USA South Championships in the near future. I wish William Peace University the very best and am confident that the athletic department is in great hands with Claude Shields assuming the Director of Athletics role.”

During his time with the Pacers, three different programs secured the first ever USA South Conference East Division Championships in school history – Men’s Soccer (2021), Women’s Basketball (2019-2020), and Volleyball (Spring 2021). In addition, the Women’s Basketball program reached the DIII NCAA Tournament, a first in school history.

President Dr. Brian Ralph stated, “I want to thank Tom for his dedicated service and leadership during his time at WPU. He has had a positive impact on our athletic program and I wish him the very best on his future endeavors. We are fortunate to have a strong leader in Claude Shields to assume leadership of Pacer Athletics as the Interim Director of Athletics.”