The College of New Jersey athletic director, Kevin McHugh was named the 2005 recipient of the Garden State Award from the Collegiate Athletic Administrators of New Jersey (CAANJ). The award is bestowed annually to an individual who has made substantial and enduring contributions to the development of intercollegiate athletics nationally, regionally and in the state of New Jersey. McHugh will receive the prestigious award on October 19 in conjunction with the CAANJ’s Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Somerset, NJ.

In June, McHugh was named one of the 25 winners of the 2004-2005 GeneralSports TURF Systems Athletic Directors of the Year Award as chosen by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). In addition, to his AD of the Year honor, McHugh was also named to the NACDA Executive Committee this past summer as well.

In January of 2005, McHugh was selected to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Management Council. He is also currently serving a one-year term as the president of the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

Now in his 19th year at The College of New Jersey, Kevin McHugh serves as the Executive Director for Student Development and Campus Programs. In this role he heads the Department of Athletics comprising the nationally successful 21-sport intercollegiate program as well as the intramurals, club sport and recreation programs along with the Department of Campus Activities, which includes the College's 180+ student organizations.

McHugh, 49 draws upon 27 years of administrative experience at three institutions. From 1979-83, he served as an operations and facilities manager at Yale University. For the following four years he was an assistant athletic director at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he had responsibility for day-to-day departmental operations and administrative support of all revenue sports.  In addition to directing TCNJ’s athletic programs and student organizations, McHugh oversees a large summer camp offering, and the management of the athletic facilities complex.  Among the finest found at the Division III level, TCNJ’s athletic and recreational plant is in constant demand. TCNJ has hosted NCAA national championships in wrestling, women’s lacrosse Divisions I and III, softball, men’s soccer, field hockey, and women’s tennis, in addition to numerous Division III regional tournaments and a variety of special events.

McHugh, a native of Wharton, NJ, is a 1978 graduate of Columbia University, where he starred four years as a varsity wrestler. He twice served as team captain and was named All-Ivy League on two occasions as a 134-pound grappler. During his collegiate career, he won 75 matches, was named Columbia’s Most Outstanding Wrestler his last two years, and was honored as an All-American by National Mat News. From 1994-1997, he served as the chair of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee after serving as a Division III representative on the Wrestling Committee the previous two years. At the 1999 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, he was inducted into the NWCA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame as a contributor to the sport. In addition, he is a past-president of the New Jersey Athletic Conference and President-Elect of the Collegiate Athletic Administrators of New Jersey. Newly elected to the NCAA Management Council, he is also completing his final year as a member of the NCAA Division III men’s basketball committee.

McHugh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies from Columbia. At the University of Massachusetts, he earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management.