Florida Polytechnic to offer sports, names new athletic director

One local university in Lakeland has hired a new athletic director who will be at the forefront of the inaugural sports program slated for this fall.

Derick Lower has been named Florida Polytechnic University's first athletic director this week. He will be tasked to debut the school's first sports programs, which include men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball.

Lower joined the university in 2017 to help build its student recreation program. And now he’s at the helm of an even greater sports program.

“Starting an athletics program at a public university doesn’t happen often because they’ve all been established for a very long time, so this is a pretty unique opportunity,” Lower said. “I love this university and I’m proud to help shape another major part of its story.”

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Lower said he will shape the new sports program by having a successful new season, as the goal is to build a “lasting legacy of excellence.” Lower is in the process of hiring coaches and recruiting.

“As we hire and recruit, I think about who is going to represent Florida Poly in the best way while giving us the right foundation so we can grow into something special,” Lower said.

The players, of course, are the most crucial part of the program’s sustainability. And these students must be both talented athletically and academically, Lower said. The university is already consistently ranked as among the nation’s top universities for academic achievement and career goals, as graduates earn some of the highest salaries in Florida’s public university system.

Lower holds a degree in sports management from the University of Florida and has worked to support Florida’s track and field team. He also has a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Central Florida.

And in his last nine years as Florida Poly’s associate director of campus recreation, Lower has been at the helm of the implementation of club sports, intramural sports, fitness programs and aquatics, while also managing all recreation facilities and the university’s mascot.

“Derek knows what makes Florida Poly great and is building a program that reflects our values of innovation, determination and excellence,” Bryan Brooks, vice president of student affairs, enrollment management and strategic communications, said. “With his leadership, our student-athletes will set a new standard for success at a university where rigor in the classroom matches drive on the field.”

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Florida Polytechnic names athletic director as it adds varsity program