Being a Division I head coach is a full-time job. So is being the coordinator of academics for the athletics department. Chris Merce finds a way to do both jobs and do both jobs well.

Merce serves as the head coach of the Iona golf team as well as the academic coordinator for the entire athletics department.

In his role as coordinator of academics, Merce oversees the academic progress of all 21 Iona College teams. In total, that is roughly 350 student-athletes. He makes sure that they are keeping up with their school work and maintain academic eligibility.

“Basically, my main job is to serve as liaison between our student-athletes, our coaches, and our professors and faculty,” Merce said.

He keeps up with student-athletes to make sure that they are succeeding in the classroom. This involves helping them find a tutor at the Samuel Rudin Academic Resource Center. Another important part of his job is helping the student-athletes balance their time. Between practice, games, traveling, classes and homework, they turn to Merce for assistance in balancing their schedules.

Merce also keeps in constant communication with the professors to make sure that the student-athletes are doing well. He receives midterm grades for the student-athletes in order to monitor their progress through the first part of a term. He also lets the professors know when a student-athlete might have to miss class due to an away game or an injury.

He keeps the coaches informed as to how their players are performing academically. Merce’s role is to make sure the players are succeeding in the classroom, so they can excel in athletic competition.

“Our coaches here are great; so in that regard, they make my job as academic coordinator pretty easy because they want to have a hands-on role in the academic success of their student athletes too,” Merce said.

Merce began at Iona last fall. He has been the coordinator of academics for that span of time. Last year, he served as assistant coach on the golf team, under Matt Glovaski. Glovaski stepped away from coaching golf to focus on his role as an athletics administrator.

“As assistant coach, you’re kind of helping out wherever you’re needed, and it’s a little of everything,” Merce said. “As head coach, it’s 100-percent of every area.”

Prior to coming to Iona, Merce worked at his alma mater and fellow Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member, Saint Peter’s. There he served as an academic advisor for the athletics department and as the assistant golf coach.

As a student with the Peacocks, Merce played on the golf team for four years. He made the MAAC All-Academic Team three times. In 2007, he represented Saint Peter’s at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Leadership Conference.

In his first season as head coach, Merce has lead the golf team to second place in the Iona College Quad Match on Sept. 16, its best finish thus far.