The Official Website of Franklin Pierce University Athletics

Bio

Sport supervisor: football, women's ice hockey, volleyball, men's and women's cross country/track & field, women's rowing.

Rachel Burleson enters her seventh year as Director of Athletics at Franklin Pierce University in 2023-24. Under Burleson’s wing, Pierce athletics has taken flight at the local and national level putting Rindge, New Hampshire on the map and punctuating what it means to be a Raven. Through her vision, Franklin Pierce University Athletics has leaped in growth, stretching to 24 athletic programs that set a strong foundation for student-athletes to compete on the field, excel in the classroom, and prepare for a meaningful and successful career in the years after they receive their education.

GROWING THE NEST:

Since Burleson’s arrival at Pierce, the university’s athletic department has hit a significant growth spurt. During the 2017-18 academic year, Burleson spearheaded the official transition for Franklin Pierce University football from a sprint, to the NCAA Division II level. The multi-pronged operation brought in flocks of students looking to play at the next level, boosted fan/family/community engagement with the creation of field side tailgating known as “Raven Row”, and even opened the door for the first ever woman football student-athlete in the Northeast-10 who even scored a historic 11 points including one field goal and eight successful extra-point kicks.

In a domino effect, in 2018 Franklin Pierce women’s ice hockey grew on a similar scale as the program boosted scholarships and transitioned to NCAA Division I as a member of the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance. Just three years later, the program was crowned NEWHA Champions.  Competing at the highest level, the team now competes with big name schools like Dartmouth, Boston College, and St. Thomas (Minn.).

With Burleson at the helm, programs grew while others were created. That includes the women’s rowing team, marching band, and in 2024 the addition of department funded Dance and Cheer.

 FACILITY UPGRADES:

As the University moves into its sixth decade, Burleson and company have worked diligently to offer the best facilities possible for the student athletes who call Pierce home. In the past five years alone, the Field House, which serves as home to basketball and volleyball, has been remodeled to include new floors, scoreboards, locker rooms, stand-alone hoops and a production platform for Ravens Sports Network.

Up the hill, the softball field received major upgrades including entirely new turf on the infield, outfield, and bullpens, backstop padding, scoreboards and FPU branding. The softball field improvements tack onto the addition of program locker rooms added in 2018. Similar improvements were added to the baseball field as well.

Among the most impressive improvements were those made at Sodexo field from 2019-2023 which included a revamp of the press box for game day personnel and RSN, along with entirely new turf, and athletic branded wind screens promoting the championships and achievements by each team.

Most recently in fall of 2023, Burleson led the charge for an outdoor 300-meter dirt track on campus that acts as an elite training ground that overlooks the Rindge Campus.

As facilities improve, Burleson has dialed in on the people leading the students, the coaches. In 2017, Burleson transitioned all head coaches to full time positions and overhauled the on-boarding process, checklist and mentor program for new fulltime coaches and staff, which ensured a successful future for the coaches and the players.

BUILDING A WINNING CULTURE:

The combination of facilities, high class coaches, and next-level talent opens up endless opportunities in the athletic arena. Since Burleson’s arrival, the Ravens have made their names known at the National, regional and conference level. That includes three Division II National Championship trophies, two DII coach of the year awards for men’s soccer, dozens of NCAA playoff appearances, the NE10 President’s Cup, and 18 Northeast-10 Player of the Year awards, just to name a few. At the time of her arrival, the retention rate at Franklin Pierce was in the 37^th percentile of NCAA Division II. Through her work, athletes have recognized that Franklin Pierce is a winning institution, which shows in the most recent retention rate set at 70%.

COMMUNITY ENGAGMENT:
Nestled in the hills of southwest New Hampshire, Mount Monadnock casts a shadow over the towns and communities that depend on one another. Just as Ravens depend on Ravens, the same relationship exists outside of the Rindge Campus, and there are thousands of hours of community service to prove it. Under Burleson’s leadership, a community service program was instituted where each student-athlete had to chip in a minimum amount per semester. Through this initiative, a whopping 4,496 hours (187.3 days) have been completed by Franklin Pierce student athletes.

DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION:
As Ravens pass through the halls of Franklin Pierce University, Burleson has led her department to do one thing that snowballs into success: aim high and work hard. Along with the athletic achievements, students on campus continue to excel in the class room. The composite GPA for the Ravens has flown from 3.16 to 3.33 since Burleson’s arrival, which has planted hundreds of student athletes on all-conference academic achievement lists over the past seven years. The backend engineering of this success is fueled by one-on-one meetings with captains of teams, frequent interactions with head coaches for academic accountability and the creation of a Academic Coordinator and Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator. Through these actions, Burleson has helped students find the resources they need to succeed on the field and in the classroom, giving them the best opportunity for a prosperous future after Pierce.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:

Raven Nation is a living and breathing community that has no borders. During Burleson’s first year, Franklin Pierce Athletics only represented nine countries, totaling 11 student athletes. In 2023, that number has grown to 29 countries made up of 77 student athletes.

HISTORIC MOMENT: In fall of 2023, in partnership with Ravens Sports Network, Burleson and the athletic department put together the first ever bi-lingual broadcast in Northeast-10 history, and then did it again at the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer National Championship in Matthews, North Carolina. A dozen members of the team came from countries where Spanish is the official language. Recognizing that the family members of these players often listened in English, arrangements were made to offer a more inclusive medium for them to tune in and watch the Ravens capture the championship for a second consecutive year.

LEADERSHIP AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

2017-18

• Serve on Softball RAC
• Chair Women’s Rowing RAC
• Member of the Women’s Rowing National Committee
• Charged several departmental committees:
  • Academic Success Committee
  • Hall of Fame Committee
  • Booster Committee
• Co-Chair University Student Satisfaction Committee

18-19

• Chaired the Dean of Student Affairs search
• Active member of Provost Council
• Appointed member of the Senior Team –Long-term Planning

20-21

• Member of the NE10 Executive Committee
• Chair the NE10 Athletic Council
• First ever female to serve on the DII Men’s Lacrosse National Committee
• Women’s Rowing Coaches Connector of the NCAA DII Coaches Connection Program

22-23

• Served on the NEWHA Executive Committee
• Chair the NE10 Athletic Council
• Member of the DII Men’s Lacrosse National Committee
• Women’s Rowing Coaches Connector of the NCAA DII Coaches Connection Program
• Division II ADA Executive Board

ABOUT BURLESON:

Burleson (hiring announcement) came to Rindge after spending five years as an Associate Athletic Director at fellow NCAA Division II member Missouri Southern State University. While with the Lions, she was in charge of internal operations and led the MSSU compliance office, while also serving as the Lions' Senior Woman Administrator. Burleson was also responsible for sport supervision of golf, volleyball, soccer, baseball, and softball while in Joplin, Mo.

Including her time at MSSU, Burleson joined Franklin Pierce after 10 years of administrative experience at Division II institutions. Prior to MSSU, she had spent the better part of a year in Gunnison, Colo., where she worked at Western State Colorado University as the Assistant Athletic Director for special events. Before the stint in the Rocky Mountain State, Burleson spent four years as the head softball coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. In addition to coaching responsibilities at OPSU, she served as the game management director for all home events and helped oversee all aspects of event administration.

Prior to earning the head coaching and administrative role at OPSU, Burleson spent a total of four years as an assistant softball coach at two schools. While earning her graduate degree, she served as an assistant coach at Northwest Missouri State University, including helping the Bearcats to an NCAA Championship appearance. Prior to Northwest Missouri, Burleson was an assistant softball coach for two years and an assistant volleyball coach for one year at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

Originally from Azle, Texas, Burleson earned her bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science from Tarleton State University in 2003, added a master's degree in athletic administration from Northwest Missouri State in 2008, completed her MBA at Franklin Pierce in 2020 and is currently a candidate for a Doctorate in Education Leadership at Wilmington University.

Burleson and her family currently reside in Rindge.

***Some biographical information courtesy of Athletic Media Relations office at Missouri Southern State University.