As Beth Goetz officially takes on interim AD role at Iowa, her progress already visible in NIL, other areas

IOWA CITY — Two days after flying back from the Big Ten’s football media days and a couple weeks before fall sports begin competition, Beth Goetz was outside volunteering despite the heat index reaching the triple-digits.

The Hawkeyes’ new interim athletics director did not want any “VIP” volunteer responsibilities, Think Iowa City president Josh Schamberger said.

“Hey, we don’t need anything glorified,” Schamberger said, remembering what Goetz told him. “We want to do whatever.”

So wearing an Iowa T-shirt and hat, Goetz drove a golf cart with a cooler in the back as she sold ice to cyclists on behalf of the Coralville RAGBRAI committee.

“Tell me if you’ve ever seen an athletic director out here sweating in 105-degree heat index, stepping up to help Coralville in the biggest event that Coralville hosts,” Schamberger said to the Coralville city manager.

Goetz’s contract dictates she will officially become interim athletics director on Aug. 2 — one day after Gary Barta’s retirement date.

But in reality, Goetz already has made significant strides — or sometimes more like golf cart miles — as the next leader of the University of Iowa’s athletics department.

“You want to make sure that we’re supporting our student-athletes and coaches, to build on the success we’ve had,” Goetz told The Gazette last week.

The Swarm Collective’s relationship with Barta became frosty as tensions surfaced regarding his lack of cooperation with the collective. Goetz, however, appears to have already improved Iowa’s relationship with the collective, which raises money for football and basketball athletes via name, image and likeness.

Brad Heinrichs, the CEO and founder of Swarm, is one to “give Beth a lot of credit” for what she has done since being announced as interim athletics director earlier this summer.

“I don't mean to disparage Gary, but I do see that Beth is definitely taking initiative to want to talk to me,” Heinrichs said on The Gazette’s Hawk Off the Press podcast. “I can’t thank her enough for her support.”

Goetz said she is “really grateful” for what Heinrichs and the collective’s donors have done to “support our student-athletes in the NIL space.”

“As we know now, it’s a key piece of how we are going to continue to be successful,” Goetz said.

Heinrichs has seen an evolution in the athletics department’s thinking around NIL and the Swarm Collective.

“I think there’s a self-awareness over there now that we need to be a partner with the Swarm and not an adversary,” Heinrichs said. “I’m really excited about the next 12 months and what the future holds there.”

Outside of NIL, Goetz “has already garnered a lot of respect from everybody she's interfaced with,” head football coach Kirk Ferentz said.

“Certainly great to have her with us,” Ferentz said unprompted last week at the Big Ten’s annual football media days.

She has overseen an expansion of coaching staffs as soccer, gymnastics and softball have announced new assistant coach positions.

“We really tried to look at which of our sports were really utilizing heavily some of that volunteer support,” Goetz said. “We haven't been able to add those positions across the board, but in strategic places where we knew that they were really impactful to the program, we sort of put a foot in the door.”

University president Barbara Wilson named Goetz the interim AD on June 1, effective Aug. 2. Goetz has not only benefited from the two months of lead time since then, but the previous 10 months as deputy AD.

“It’s been great to really get an understanding of what being a Hawkeye is all about,” Goetz said. “That 10-month lead-in has been helpful, but certainly over the last two months, we've been a lot more intentional about transitioning.”

Now, it is officially Goetz’s time to lead, and she is excited to lead “next to a great staff.”

“And to watch these special coaches — and we’re watching one of them here today at media days,” Goetz said before Ferentz took the podium in Indianapolis, “to see what these guys are going to continue to do to build on the great success we've had over the last handful of years.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com