WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College athletic department has announced the addition of Aaron Thompson as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Operations, announced by the department Thursday (Jan. 2).
 
Thompson will oversee the operational aspects of the athletic department including managing game operations, directing championship events, enhancing the game day experience for students and fans and supervising athletic work study personnel.
 
Thompson served as Director of Athletic Communications at Denison University during the fall 2024 semester. His most pivotal work centered around the men's soccer team's run to the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals. The Big Red served as a host site for NCAA First and Second Round games. The men's soccer program won three games to match its deepest run in NCAA Tournament in program history. Four Denison teams won NCAC regular season titles during the fall. He helped oversee all communication efforts for the department, which features 26 varsity programs. 
 
"I am grateful for the opportunity to return to W&J and contribute in a leadership role as Assistant Athletic Director for Operations," Thompson said. "I would like to thank Eva Chatterjee-Sutton (Vice President of Student Life & Dean of Students), and the entire search committee for believing in me as the right fit for this role. Drawing upon my prior knowledge and experience, I look forward to positively impacting the hard-working and talented student-athletes of the college."
 
Prior to his brief stint at Denison, Thompson completed five-plus years serving as the Sports Information Director at W&J. He joined the athletics staff in January of 2019. Thompson was recognized as the recipient of the 2021-22 Jack Rea Athletics Staff Member of the Year by the W&J Department of Athletics. 
 
"We are very excited to welcome back Aaron to our athletic department," stated director of athletics Scott McGuinness. "Aaron is an accomplished professional, he knows W&J and the PAC extremely well, and he has a strong work ethic. We feel confident Aaron is going to enhance and elevate the W&J student-athlete experience in this new role." 
 
During his time at W&J, Thompson promoted 20 PAC team championships, 123 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-District selections, 23 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-Americans and more than 40 Athletic All-Americans. Thompson teamed with former intern assistant Josh Smith to provide extensive coverage of the W&J baseball team's run to the 2019 Division III College World Series.
 
A number of firsts have occurred during Thompson's time at W&J. Tanner Gaerke '19 earned the Elite 90 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championship events. Gaerke was W&J's first-ever Elite 90 award winner in 2019 at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships.
 
In June of 2023, Tyler Horvat was selected as the College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA D-III Baseball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. Horvat became W&J's first-ever Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in any sport. In the fall of 2023, W&J cross country standout Cassie Carr became W&J's second Elite 90 award winner and the college's first female athlete to secure the honor.
 
Thompson was a member of the College Sports Communicators. He served as a member of the Review Committee for the CSC Academic All-America awards program, helping to oversee Men's Basketball and Softball at the Division III and NAIA levels. Additionally, Thompson served on W&J's Athletics Hall of Fame Committee.
 
Thompson came to W&J from Saint Vincent College where he served as the assistant sports information director from August 2014 until December 2018.
 
Some of Thompson's other individual highlights at Saint Vincent included coverage of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. During the spring of 2016, Thompson provided coverage of the Saint Vincent softball program as it captured its first ever PAC Tournament Championship as well as the program's first appearance in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. During the spring of 2018, Thompson helped gain national coverage of Maggie Nelson's record-breaking women's lacrosse season. Through Thompson's efforts, Nelson was featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces In The Crowd as well as NCAA.com.
 
Thompson served as the media coordinator for the 2018 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball National Championship hosted by Saint Vincent College and Visit Pittsburgh at Duquesne University's Palumbo Center. Thompson helped plan and execute the three-day, eight-team, championship event, which Saint Vincent hosted with SportsPittsburgh at Duquesne University. As Media Coordinator, Thompson was in charge of overseeing all media operations for the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship rounds.
 
He earned a bachelor's degree in communication from Waynesburg University in 2012. Thompson then spent two years as the graduate assistant in the sports information office.  He also received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in applied business in 2014. 
 
A native of Western Pennsylvania, Thompson resides in Washington.