Philip Zoppi – News Writer
Jay Turiano has been named Assistant Coordinator of Athletic Facilities for Southern Connecticut’s athletic department.
Turiano is very familiar with Southern, as he was a 2013 graduate, and a four-year student worker for the athletic staff.
“As a student worker I worked in the equipment room and studied sports management at Southern,” Turiano said. “This was really something that I wanted to do with my life and my career. It’s great to be back and I definitely could have saw myself return here one day. Everything just worked out.”
Some of Turiano’s daily responsibilities will be following up on facility maintenance problems, assisting with scheduling athletic contests and helping with getting transportation for athletes.
Before returning to Southern, Turiano had multiple experiences that helped him prepare for this new position.
After Turiano graduated from Southern in 2013, he went to Fairfield University to obtain a master’s degree in communications. While at Fairfield University, Turiano was a graduate assistant in the athletic department.
Turiano also spent two years as an Assistant Athletic Director at Fairfield Prep. He believes that these experiences are going to help him transition into his current role for the Owls.
“It was a great two years at Fairfield Prep to get to see what it’s like working out of a high school lens as opposed to a collegiate lens,” said Turiano.
Jay Moran, the athletic director for Southern, believes these experiences are going to make Turiano perform well in his new position and help Southern athletics as a whole too.
“He was able to get into another institution and see how they ran their facilities,” said Moran. “He can bring some of what he saw and learned to us, and we can implement some of that at Southern.”
The athletic administration at Southern helps make sure that sporting events run smoothly throughout the year. Turiano’s experiences make him a qualified person for the job.
Moran added Turiano is going to fit in well with the athletic administration because of his attitude.
“I think he has a great personality and a great sense of humor,” said Moran. “He fits well with the staff because he is very friendly to the public. He’s a fine young man with a bright future.”
Turiano has not been on the job long, but he said that he is fitting in well with the new position. Working specifically with Moran has been something that Turiano has enjoyed.
“So far it’s been wonderful working with Jay,” said Turiano. “He’s a really great guy and he’s leading the athletic department in a great way.”
Turiano is already helping the athletic administration, as he worked the women’s soccer game against Stonehill on Oct. 18, in the Owls’ 1-0 victory.
“It’s been going well,” said Turiano. “We had a great win in women’s soccer against Stonehill, it was a good win for the program.”
When Turiano works a game some of the responsibilities are making sure the field is set up properly, overseeing student staff at the game and helping the officials with anything they need.
What Turiano has been doing relates game management, and making sure that the game runs smoothly without any problems.
Turiano and Southern’s athletic department will look to continue to make sure Southern sports are run properly, as the fall season winds down.
Photo Courtesy: SCSU Athletic Communications