Shirk joins The Pine School as new athletic director
HOBE SOUND, Fla. (BVM) — A new face has been tasked with keeping the thriving Pine School athletic tradition alive. When sports begin again this fall, Jeff Shirk will be the guy trusted with the job, but he’ll begin this summer prepared for the athletes’ return.
Shirk joins the Knights after his most recent stint at Washington College in Maryland, where he was the men’s lacrosse team head coach and assistant athletic director. As a coach, Shirk led his squad to some major moments, including its first win over a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time in three years during his first season.
His second season offered some follow-up success as Shirk was named the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year, with his team finishing first in the conference and landing in the NCAA DIII Tournament. Before all of that, though, Shirk had to work his way up through the ranks. Starting with high school jobs, he was the associate athletic director at the Naval Academy Preparatory School, the head lacrosse coach at Virginia Military Academy and then finally transitioned to college where he was the assistant lacrosse coach at Brown and Maryland.
His work as an athletic director included putting a new strategic plan into motion at Washington College, and creating a fundraising model. As all good athletic directors, though, his primary purpose is to serve his students and help them become more well-rounded in every aspect of life. Between his coaching savvy and professionalism in mentoring, The Pine School athletes will be in for a learning experience.
