NJIT athletics director selected as new NCAA men’s volleyball committee chair

The athletics director who guided NJIT to NCAA Division I membership is now set to also be the head of the NCAA men’s volleyball committee.

Lenny Kaplan was selected as the committee chairman for the 2019 season, according to the annual report the NCAA recently released about the men’s volleyball committee meeting earlier this summer.

Kaplan, an athletics director and assistant vice president at NJIT, has led the Highlanders’ athletics department since 2000 and was named the 2017-18 Division I-AAA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year.

In Kaplan’s tenure at NJIT, the Highlanders transitioned to NCAA Division I status in 2009 and became members of the ASUN Conference in 2015. The university also opened a $102 million on-campus athletics facility last school year.

Kaplan was named the chairman to begin the third year of his four-year term as the East Coast representative on the NCAA men’s volleyball committee.

The NCAA men’s volleyball committee is comprised of three members — an East Coast representative, a Midwest representative and a West Coast representative. Among the committee’s annual responsibilities includes selecting the at-large bids and seeding for the NCAA Tournament, approving any rule changes and overseeing the NCAA Tournament.

Kaplan will replace Ohio State associate athletics director Janine Oman as the committee chair.

Oman concluded her term on the committee earlier this summer. Similar to other NCAA committees, it is uncommon for a member to serve consecutive terms.