Sarah Swanson was elevated to Associate Commissioner for Sports, Championships, and Student-Athlete Services at The Summit League in July 2026. She has been a member of the League staff since August 2023, when she was hired as Assistant Commissioner for Sports, Championships, and Student-Athlete Services.
Swanson serves as the League’s primary sport liaison for women’s soccer, volleyball, swimming and diving, and softball. Her responsibilities also include managing operations for the Summit League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, overseeing the Competition Oversight Committee and leading the League’s Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee and mental health initiatives.
Swanson arrived in Sioux Falls following a five-year stint at Upper Iowa University, where she quickly advanced from graduate assistant to senior associate athletic director. After serving as a graduate assistant during the 2018-19 academic year, she was promoted to assistant athletic director for internal operations.
In September 2021, Swanson was named the Peacocks’ senior woman administrator and elevated to associate athletic director for internal operations. During her time in Fayette, she also served as the sport administrator for women’s basketball, softball, cheer and dance, shotgun sports, strength and conditioning, and campus recreation.
Swanson concluded her tenure at Upper Iowa as senior associate athletic director for external affairs, assisting with development, alumni relations, sponsorships, events and vendor contracts. In 2023, she served as tournament director for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids.
Prior to entering collegiate athletics, Swanson spent seven years directing parks and recreation departments for the cities of Newton and Garner in Iowa, where she oversaw youth and adult programming.
Swanson was a two-sport student-athlete at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, competing in basketball and softball. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical and health education with a minor in exercise science from Waldorf in 2010 and a master’s degree in sport administration from Upper Iowa in 2020.
