Daemen University Athletics

A dedicated administrator with more than 30 years of experience working in intercollegiate athletics, Traci Murphy has led the Division of Athletics at Daemen University since her appointment in August of 2018. In that time, she has overseen an athletics program on the rise in the ranks of NCAA Division II, leading to her promotion to Vice President for Athletics in May 2024.

Daemen teams have combined for 37 top-three finishes in their respective conference standings while raising nine conference championship banners to the Lumsden Gymnasium rafters. Additionally, the Wildcats have earned a combined 15 berths to their respective NCAA Division II Championship tournaments, winning a total of four East Region championships along the way. 

Under Murphy’s leadership, the Wildcats’ achievements have not been exclusively relegated to the fields of competition. In the classroom, Daemen student-athletes have posted a collective grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher in each semester of Murphy’s tenure, including a 3.41 during the Spring 2020 semester - the highest such GPA since the tracking of academic stats became commonplace several years prior. The accomplishment was further highlighted by the fact it came during an unprecedented semester that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic which forced a transition to fully remote learning. 

Murphy played an important role in leading Daemen's COVID-19 response. As a member of the university’s emergency response team, she met regularly with leaders of various divisions and departments to shape and implement policies aimed at keeping the greater Daemen community safe and healthy. Murphy’s work on that committee helped pave the way for a return to play for Daemen student-athletes, beginning in January 2021. Daemen was one of only a handful of institutions in the northeastern United States to conduct intercollegiate athletic contests during the 2020-21 academic year, while the pandemic still raged on. 

Murphy additionally serves as a cabinet member for Gary A. Olson, president of the university. She has also been a member of the university’s Strategic Plan Steering Committee, an experience that helped to shape the development and launch of Daemen Athletics’ Strategic Vision for 2021-26, a document entitled The Wildcat Way. 

Murphy’s presence with leadership positions at both the conference and national levels has also served to raise Daemen’s profile. She is presently the president of the East Coast Conference Athletic Directors Executive Committee, and also the second vice president/secretary of the Division II Athletic Directors Association. 

No stranger to Main Street, Murphy came to Daemen following a 13-year stint less than five miles down the road as the associate athletics director/senior woman administrator at Canisius College. While there, Murphy was integral in the administration of an NCAA Division I athletics program that included 18 intercollegiate programs. Among the various committees she served on, Murphy was vice-chair of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Committee on Athletic Administration. She also served on the MAAC Women's Basketball and Gender Equity/Student-Athlete Welfare Committees, as well as NCAA committees for Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving and Initial Eligibility Appeals. 

Prior to her arrival in Western New York, Murphy served as director of compliance, academics, and student-athlete support services/senior woman administrator at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where she previously held the position of associate head athletic trainer. Prior to her tenure at ULM, she was head athletic trainer and director of intramurals and wellness at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

“Traci’s broad experience in intercollegiate athletics, commitment to the student-athlete experience, and vision will make her an exceptional leader for our athletics program. I look forward to working with her as we build upon our success in NCAA Division II athletics and our long tradition of academic excellence," said Olson at the time of her hiring. 

Active in the community, Murphy is a long-time volunteer with Western New York Girls in Sports, which empowers young girls to be healthy and confident through participation in sports and physical activity. She also serves on the advisory council of the Buffalo Sports Commission. 

Murphy earned a master’s degree in health education from the University of Arkansas and a bachelor’s degree in physical education/athletic training from West Chester University. While at WCU, Murphy competed as an NCAA Division II student-athlete in the sport of swimming. A member of College Women Leaders, she is also a graduate of the NCAA Pathway Program and the NCAA/Women Leaders Institute for Administrative Advancement.

A native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Murphy resides in Amherst. Her two children, Sean and Sarah, are both graduates of Amherst High School; Sean is a graduate of Belmont College, while Sarah is currently attending the University of South Alabama.