Brian Granata is in his 14th year leading the athletic department at Arcadia University in 2025-26. Hired in June of 2012, he is just the third athletic director in school history and was elevated to Associate Vice President of Athletics in June of 2025.
Since Granata’s arrival in Glenside, the Knights have seen tremendous growth in all areas of the department. The addition of 14 varsity sports (men’s and women’s cross country, men’s lacrosse, men’s volleyball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, men's and women's ice hockey, co-ed esports, women’s golf, and men's and women's wrestling) and a rebranding of the department have been supplemented by the addition of several new full-time positions, various department fundraisers and launching Arcadia’s camps/clinics program.
Eleven programs have combined for over 50 conference championship tournament appearances in Granata’s tenure, after none made it to postseason play the year before his arrival. Arcadia has won ten conference championships since Granata came to Glenside, including 2014 Women's Lacrosse, 2017 Baseball, 2017 Women's Soccer, 2018 Baseball, 2018-19 Men's Basketball, 2019 Softball, 2019 Men's Volleyball, 2022 Baseball, 2022-23 Men's Basketball, 2023 Baseball, and 2025 Baseball. Arcadia has also captured five ECAC Championships in that time, 2013, 2014, and 2015 Women' Soccer, and 2017 and 2018 Softball. Arcadia has made 12 appearances in NCAA Regionals, including hosting both the NCAA Division III baseball and softball Regionals in 2022, and the baseball Regionals in 2023.
Arcadia’s student-athletes have seen increased regional and national recognition for their combined academic and athletic accomplishments, including the University’s first four Academic All-Americans as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and first-ever NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American. Arcadia has additionally had three Philadelphia Inquirer Academic Performer of the Year recipients, totaling multiple Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area and 15 CoSIDA Academic All-District selections.
Arcadia has been recognized nationally seven times by the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) for its community service efforts, earning NADIIIAA Community service awards for six straight years from 2012-13 to 2017-18, including the national runner up in the Array of Projects category in 2017-18. Arcadia received the Award of Merit/Runner Up in the Array of Projects category for the NADIIIAA/JOSTENS Community Service Award in 2014-15, 15-16, 16-17 and 17-18, the second-highest of the three award levels, after receiving Honorable Mention in both 2012-13 and 2013-14. Arcadia was named Third Team winners in 2021-22 for both Array of Projects and Special Olympics Activity, its first honor in the Special Olympics category, one of two institutions to be recognized in two categories.
There have also been a number of upgrades to the Knights’ athletic facilities under Granata’s direction, including:
-125 Royal, the home of the Arcadia men's and women's wrestling teams, will include a state-of-the-art practice room, weight room to be utilized by all Arcadia teams, Athletic Training space, locker rooms, coaches' offices, and other amenities.
-The Multi Purpose Center, which provides approximately 13,000-square-feet of athletic and extracurricular space used for general student recreation, intramural programming, and intercollegiate athletics programming.
-Complete renovation of Jean Lenox West Field, with an enclosed, two-story press box and installation of state-of-the-art FieldTurf, lights, and a pavilion that includes an athletic training room, meeting space and restrooms. The turf at JLW was replaced in the summer of 2022.
-Skip Wilson Field, including new infield dirt and sod, along with a new warning track across the entire outfield. A complete overhaul of the infield, new storage and batting cage enhancements, and the addition of hard wired internet
-Blankley Field, which has seen the addition of a permanent fence and lights as well as expanded batting cage and bullpen areas.
-Kuch Center, with a two-phase athletic training room expansion and locker room renovation, locker rooms 1-4 and 7-8 being fitted with new lockers and flooring and renovated restroom/shower areas, the athletic training room was expanded with improved rehab and “wet room” areas, the installment of 58 multi-use lockers in Lenox Pool for use by the swim teams and general public, and a facelift given to the weight room where the equipment was fully upgraded and replaced.
Granata has had an expansive presence in the National, Conference, and campus community since his arrival, including the following positions:
-NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Grant Selection Committee
-NCAA Division III Convention Planning Subcommittee
-NCAA Division III Advisory Group
-NCAA Division III Regional Rules Seminar Planning and Development Working Group
-NADIIIAA Executive Committee
-ECAC Division III Men's Soccer Selection Committee
-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Strategic Planning Committee
-MAC Athletic Director Board Chair
-MAC Sports Information Director Liaison
-MAC Women's Volleyball Liasion
-MAC Awards Committee
-MAC Ad Hoc Membership Committee
-MAC Visual Indentity Focus Group
-Arcadia Campus Climate Working Group
-Arcadia Budget Planning Steering Committee
-Co-Chair of Search for VP of Advancement
Granata arrived at Arcadia after spending seven years within the athletics administration at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He first arrived at Stevens in 2005 as assistant athletic director for sports information, where he was responsible for all home event management and publicity efforts for the Ducks’ 26 varsity athletic programs and launched their video streaming services. Granata was later promoted to assistant director of athletics for administration, serving as the primary administrator for several varsity teams and offices, including women’s volleyball, equestrian, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming, baseball, aquatics, and sports information, and acted as the department’s business manager.
Granata earned his bachelor’s degree in communications with minors in English and public relations from Mount Saint Mary College in 2001, and later earned his master’s degree in business administration from Mount Saint Mary in 2008. He received the College’s Best Research Paper of the Year Award for his thesis titled “Title IX at 35: How a Law Aimed at Gender Discrimination Changed Collegiate Athletics.” Granata began his career in athletics administration as assistant sports information director at the Mount in 2001, and was promoted to sports information director in 2004.
A native of Walden, New York, Granata currently resides in Blue Bell with his wife, Allison, son, Alexander, and daughter Marielle.
