Jessup University officially announced Lance Von Vogt as the Director of Athletics in May 2016. Von Vogt initially began taking on Athletic Director duties 19-months prior, serving as an Associate Athletic Director while the Athletic Director seat was vacated and unfilled. In April of 2023, Von Vogt's role within Jessup University grew as he was named Vice President of Athletics.
Dr. John Jackson, President of Jessup University, stated, "As Vice President, Lance will be able to share in broader institutional conversations. Jessup looks forward to continuing to fulfill our brand promise of students being equipped and known. Our Athletics programs are a key part of fulfilling that commitment."
Von Vogt’s work at Jessup was honored in 2020 as he was appointed to the NAIA Athletic Director Board, which assists in overseeing rules, current issues and legislation, proposed legislation, student-athlete experience, and national championships. He added more accomplishments to his resume in June of 2022 as he was voted the GSAC Athletic Director of the Year.
Since beginning his tenure, Von Vogt has been instrumental in the improvement of Jessup's athletic facilities. Von Vogt championed the partnership with the city of Lincoln, leading to the revitalization of historic McBean Stadium to become the home of Jessup Baseball and later the Lincoln Potters. McBean has experienced in excess of one million dollars in renovations during the first four years of the 11-year agreement making it a crown jewel facility for NAIA baseball. The public-private partnership and collaboration with the City of Lincoln have grown over the years culminating in 2018 with a new home for Jessup Softball at Foskett Ranch.
Von Vogt has negotiated two other significant facility partnerships: the tennis facility at Lifetime Fitness and Whitney Oaks Golf Course. These two partnerships have allowed Warrior Athletics to launch two new sports in Women’s Tennis and Women’s Golf, thus offering more opportunities for women to excel in collegiate sports. The location and quality of these venues are top tier, which aligns with the direction of the university and athletic department.
From 2019 – 2020, Von Vogt helped negotiate a deal with local youth soccer club Blues FC to construct a new NFL grade all-weather turf soccer field on the Jessup campus. Blues FC's gift encompasses a value of over $2 million and will serve as the new home for Jessup Soccer. Construction is set to be completed in the summer of 2021.
On-campus Von Vogt has increased and improved the size, scope, and equipment in the university strength, conditioning, and performance facilities. Additionally, in the fall of 2020, Von Vogt worked with university leadership, athletic administration, and cross country coaches to re-open and improve the on-campus cross country course that had been defunct for nearly the past decade. This facility provided immediate dividends by hosting two fall cross country meets, including the 2020 GSAC Championships.
Since assuming the Athletic Director's role in 2016, Jessup has also added five new varsity sports: women’s golf, men's and women’s tennis, STUNT, and men's volleyball. The university has also successfully transitioned from membership in the NAIA to NCAA Division II and the PacWest Conference, beginning their first competitive season in the fall of 2024.
In addition to adding new sports, Von Vogt has also played a role in adding more employment within Jessup Athletics. Since taking on the role, Jessup Athletics has increased the number of full-time employees from six to over 30. These full-time positions include administrative positions, head coaches, athletic trainers, and assistant coaches.
Von Vogt has also worked to increase the annual budget for Jessup Athletics. The budget has doubled since Von Vogt took over, and the department has radically increased fundraising through personalized donor relations, the Warrior Golf Classic, team-specific fundraising events, and the Top Swing event held annually at Top Golf.
By increasing the budget, Jessup can use funds to provide student-athletes with better travel accommodations, including new vehicles for transportation, better hotels, higher-quality meals, and airline travel for all out of state contests.
Jessup Athletics has also become more recognizable through concentrated marketing campaigns spearheaded by Von Vogt. The #ONEwarrior, #WarriorRISE, #WarriorSTRONG, and #WErWARRIORS campaigns focus on unity, equality, and teamwork throughout athletics and the university.
Since Von Vogt’s appointment in 2016, the Warriors have seen an uptick in student-athlete GPA. In the 2019-20 academic year, Jessup student-athletes posted an average GPA of 3.31, with 13-of-14 teams earning NAIA All-Academic Honors.
Jessup Athletics also finished in the top-100 of the Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup in 2019 for the first time in school history. The Learfield Cup recognizes the most successful college athletics department, regardless of division or level of competition.
There have been massive increases in the number of student-athletes and available scholarships for athletes at Jessup since 2016. Under Von Vogt’s leadership, the student-athlete population has nearly doubled, and the average scholarship offered has increased by over 135-percent.
During Von Vogt’s tenure at Jessup, the university has grown in its diversity across campus, moving from a 23% non-white population to a 50% non-white population. The diversity and growth of athletics is one of the major contributors to this intentional diversity growth by the university.
Athletes also have a voice and a place to share their thoughts and concerns, as Von Vogt instituted the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
The root of all actions taken by Jessup Athletics and Von Vogt ties directly to the mission of Jessup University, which states: “In partnership with the Church, the purpose of Jessup University is to educate transformational leaders for the glory of God.”
Von Vogt consistently shares with student-athletes, and athletic staff, that we are called to perform for an audience of one: The Lord.
Jessup has seen an increase in win percentage and overall success on the field under Von Vogt’s guidance. Jessup has won three national championships in STUNT, two national championships in Track & Field, three GSAC Championships in Baseball, two GSAC Championships in Softball, and also a GSAC Championship in Women's Volleyball. The 2023-24 season also saw Softball play in the NAIA National Championship Game.
The Warriors joined the Golden State Athletic Conference in 2014, during Von Vogt’s tenure as Associate Athletic Director. The move to the GSAC has brought on a higher level of competition at all sports. Jessup transitioned to the PacWest conference in 2024, led by Von Vogt who proposed the move five years before. Jessup successfully completed provisional year one of NCAA Division II membership in 2023-24, and began NCAA competition in the fall of the 2024-25 season.
Several student-athletes have received All-American honors under Von Vogt’s leadership. The Warriors also experienced their first professional draft pick when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Andrew Shaps in 2018.
Von Vogt earned his Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida and received a Master's Degree in Sports Administration from Georgia State.
A native of Daytona Beach Shores, FL, Von Vogt currently resides in Lincoln with his wife Charlyle and has two daughters, Lauren and Aspen.
