Jeremy Handel
Staff Writer

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) awarded the 2024 Mary Ellen Leicht Service Award to Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) Athletic Director Megan Aiello.

“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award,” Aiello said. “To have my name added to the list of greats who have received it is humbling, as well as being associated with Mary Ellen Leicht.”

The Mary Ellen Leicht Service Award is the most tenured honor bestowed by the NJCAA annually. It is given to those – most often not athletes – who have significantly contributed to two-year college athletics nationally for an extended period. It is named for the Association’s first female executive director and the first female chief executive of any national collegiate athletic organization.

“Megan is a tremendous advocate for college athletics and student-athletes, and her influence on our students is evident in their continued success on and off the field,” said SMC President Scott Cochran. “She gives 100 percent to everything she undertakes, and her work with the NJCAA is no exception.”

Aiello was recognized for her commitment to advancing two-year college athletics through her service. She has served in several capacities for the NJCAA, including as Chair of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council; Women’s Region 10 Director; the Region 10 Sports Committee Chair for six sports; and more. She has been the athletic director at SMC since 2018, overseeing 14 sports.

Before taking the Athletic Director position, Aiello served two stints as the head women’s volleyball coach at SMC and as assistant athletic director/director of compliance and head women’s volleyball coach at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL. She holds a Bachelor of Science in physical education from Anderson University in Anderson, SC, and a Master of Arts in Education from Bluffton University in Bluffton, OH. In addition to her athletic duties, Aiello also serves as an adjunct professor at SMC.

Aiello received the NJCAA honor in the school’s final season in the association. She will lead the College through its transition to four-year athletics in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the fall of 2024.

“We’re so excited to transition to the NAIA, and I look forward to continuing to lead our programs to success at the next level,” Aiello said.