Toward the end of her 15-year run as Head Volleyball Coach at Iowa Western Community College, Brenda Hampton thought it would be tough to give up her seat on the sidelines. Now, 10 years into her tenure as the school's Athletic Director, Hampton can't imagine going back.

As volleyball coach, Hampton compiled a 504-199 record, guiding the Reivers to a dozen 30-win seasons and three trips to the NJCAA championships from 1999 to 2001. In her final eight years of coaching, she also served as assistant athletic director.

Since becoming Athletic Director, Hampton has expanded the athletic department from five sports to its current offering of 19. During the 2010-11 school year, 17 of those teams participated in their respective national tournaments and Iowa Western finished third in the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Cup standings.

Hampton is very involved on the national level, serving as Women's Director for NJCAA Region XI and recently completing a two-year term on the NJCAA Executive Committee. She also serves as Secretary on the Executive Board of NATYCAA.

In this interview, Hampton discusses her strategy for adding new teams, the challenges of working at the junior college level, and how she has developed great working relationships with upper-level administrators.

AM: What do you enjoy most about the junior college setting?
Hampton: There are a lot of athletes who get overlooked by four-year colleges, and we provide them with an opportunity. Even for athletes who do have a chance to play at the NCAA Division I level, a lot of them come this route because they know they'll get playing time right away as freshmen.

Specific to Iowa Western, I like that we have a president, Dr. Dan Kinney, who is a big supporter of athletics. There are a lot of junior colleges that have only a handful of sports and might excel in just one or two. But across the board, all of our sports are successful. We have that reputation now, so student-athletes want to come here.

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