BUFFALO, N.Y. - Bridget Niland, director of athletics and special assistant to the president at Daemen College, has been named to the Power 100 Women, a ranking of the most influential women in Western New York published by Buffalo Business First.  

Niland's inclusion marked the second straight year that she was incorporated in the rankings, coming in at No. 77 this year, up 12 spots from her No. 89 ranking a year ago.  The list includes political leaders, judges, college and university presidents, law firm partners, health care administrators and chief executives from numerous fields, just to name a few.  Also for the second straight year, Niland was the only intercollegiate athletics administrator to be included in the rankings which were topped by Kim Pegula, president and CEO of Pegula Sports and Entertainment which owns both the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.

"Business First has recognized what we already know at Daemen College; that Bridget Niland is an outstanding leader, role model and powerful influence among her peers throughout the Region," said Dr. Gary A. Olson, President of Daemen College.  "Bridget has become a leading voice for women's athletics within the NCAA, across our state, and across the nation, and we are proud of the impact that she continues to have on young women in sport."

A member of the Daemen College faculty since 2006, Niland took over as Director of Athletics in July of 2014, guiding the College to completion of its NCAA Division II membership initiative which was announced in July of 2015.  Her contributions to the initiative began with her oversight of the entire project from its initiation in 2011 as the College's Faculty Athletics Representative.

Since shifting her role to include oversight of the day-to-day operations of Daemen Athletics, Niland has played an integral part in the organization's growth and development.  This past year, she implemented new intercollegiate programs for women's bowling and triathlon, making Daemen one of just a handful of colleges and universities nationwide to sponsor the latter which has been designated as an emerging sport for women by the NCAA.  Niland proved instrumental in landing a $70,000 grant from USA Triathlon to aide in the establishment of the program.  

On her watch, the student-athlete population at Daemen is on the rise, while the focus has remained on providing an experience balanced between the rigors of athletic competition and that of high academic achievement.  Daemen's student-athletes continue to achieve and be retained at a higher rate than that of the general student body.  Recently, 65 student-athletes were named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2016 semester, and 82 student-athletes were named to the East Coast Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Niland, an inductee of the Athletics Hall of Fame at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), has long been a champion of women's athletics and the role that sport can play in the lives of young people, especially females.  Her development of Daemen's observance of National Girls and Women in Sports Day took a dramatic upswing this past spring when it became a week-long celebration, including appearances by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor.  Niland was again at the forefront of attracting such high-profile speakers to campus.

In addition to her daily responsibilities within the Athletic Department, Niland has maintained her teaching responsibilities as an associate professor in the Business Administration Department, also overseeing the Sport Management specialization and business law curriculum.  She also serves as an adjunct instuctor on sport law and intercollegiate athletics at the UB and Niagara University.

Prior to joining the Daemen faculty, Niland worked as the Associate Director of Academic and Membership Affairs at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., drawing experience that would prove to be invaluable to Daemen in its recent quest for Division II membership.  She also continues to provide consultation work to the NCAA, working primarily with schools transitioning to the Division I level of competition, while also working with USA Collegiate Sports, an affiliate of Harris Beach, PLLC.

Holding Bachelor's, Master's and Law Degrees, all from UB, Niland was also recognized earlier this year as the recipient of the 2016 Athena Young Professional Leadership Award.  Her growing profile in the realm of intercollegiate athletics also led to her appearance on an athletics industry podcast earlier this spring.

Power 100 Women was compiled by Buffalo Business First based on years of observing the area's business community, and represents a selection of individuals from the eight counties of Western New York.