Limestone University

Limestone University appointed Hailey P. Martin as its new Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in March of 2023, making her the first female in the institution’s history to serve in that position.
 
Martin is now responsible for the development, management, coordination and supervision of Limestone’s intercollegiate athletics program with 25 programs and more than 800 student-athletes. She is providing leadership, strategic planning, and policy development for the athletics department, while also maintaining an athletics program that is committed to the University’s mission and strategic priorities. Martin reports directly to the Limestone President and serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
 
She previously served as Limestone’s Assistant Athletic Director for Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement/Senior Woman Administrator. Prior to holding those positions, Martin served for 12 years as the Spirit Director and Head Cheer Coach. She was named Limestone’s Senior Woman Administrator in 2018 and also assumed the Assistant Athletic Director title two years later.
 
Martin took a lead role in developing Limestone's Gender Equity Plan and has served as the co-chair on the Limestone Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce. In her previous Assistant Athletic Director role, she worked closely with the athletic leadership team and Limestone’s Office of Equity and Inclusion to advocate for diversity, inclusion, and intercultural understanding in order to create a welcoming campus for all students, faculty, and staff. 
 
Martin is also active on the conference and NCAA levels. In 2020, she was chosen to serve on the NCAA Division II Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Grant Selection Committee and will serve in this capacity through 2023. She is also a member of the Women’s Tennis Southeast Regional Advisory Committee. Within the South Atlantic Conference, Martin serves as the Senior Woman Administrator liaison to both the Men’s Lacrosse and the Field Hockey coaches’ committee and serves as a member of the SAC Constitution and Bylaws committee as well as the SAC Athletics Council.
 
She is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A), Women Leaders in College Sports, USA Cheer, and received her Collegiate Coaching Credentialing from the National Cheerleaders Association. In 2020, Martin was named as one of the “Top 40 under 40 in Cherokee County” by the Classic Society and received the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bill Bradley Memorial True Champion Award in 2017.
 
Martin, who served on the Limestone Feasibility Committee for Football in 2012, helped develop the athletics department's recruitment plan as the Senior Woman Administrator. She also represented Limestone as the Senior Woman Administrator with both the South Atlantic Conference and the NCAA.  
 
The Senior Woman Administrator is the highest-ranking female in each NCAA athletics department or conference office.
 
Martin, a Limestone alumna from the Class of 2008 and a former three-year captain of the Limestone cheer team, started the Saints’ competitive cheer program in 2012 to help create more opportunities for female student-athletes. The program has developed into one of the most respected nationally, qualifying for the NCA Collegiate Cheer National Championships for several years. Holding a Bachelor of Art in English Education from Limestone with a minor in Psychology, she taught at Gaffney High School for three years before joining the Limestone staff full-time. 

Prior to stepping into her administration role, Hailey served as the Director of the Spirit Program/Head Cheerleading Coach for the Blue & Gold for 12 years. She elevated the program from a sideline only team and started the competitive cheer program and the dance team in 2012 to help create more opportunities for female student-athletes. The program has developed into one of the most respected nationally, qualifying for the NCA Collegiate Cheer National Championships each year since 2016. In both 2016 and 2019, she coached the team to a Cheer LTD Collegiate Championship in the Small Coed division, while also earning Overall Grand Champion honors. She also coached the program’s first-ever All-Americans during her final season at the helm.

Martin taught English at Gaffney High School for three years and coached the Saints part-time before joining the staff as the full-time head coach in July of 2011. She graduated from Limestone in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Education. During her time as a student, she was a member of the Saints cheerleading team, serving as team captain for three seasons and earning Most Valuable Player honors her senior year. She is married to Wade Martin, and is the proud mother of William “Hayes” Martin.