Presbyterian Athletics Director Bee Carlton is stepping down, effective February 1, 2010. Carlton is leaving after six years as AD to become professor of systems engineering and operations research at the College of Coastal Georgia, where he also will serve as senior advisor for athletic planning.

Other transactions

Coaches

Football – Northern State announced that head football coach Chris Boden and assistant coach Richard Sweeney will be released at the end of the season.

Men’s and women’s lacrosse assistants – Florida Southern selected Marty Ward as an assistant men’s lacrosse coach. Ward was a goalkeeper for four seasons at Limestone, which compiled a 55-9 record during his career. He was an honorable mention All-America selection in 2005 and 2007.

Softball assistants – Leslie Furness was named as an assistant softball coach at Greensboro.

Conferences

Maryanne Simkulak has been hired as the Sunshine State Conference assistant commissioner for membership services, effective in January. She has worked at Barry since August 2003, most recently as an assistant director of athletics … The Atlantic Coast Conference hired Kris Pierce as assistant commissioner for championships, effective in January. She will replace Davis Whitfield, who recently accepted the position of executive director of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Pierce, who has served as the ACC assistant director of championships since August 2006, is a graduate of North Carolina and has been in the conference office since September 2003.

Deaths

Emporia State track student-athlete Samuel Jacob Williams died after a motorcycle accident November 1. He had been reported missing for three days before being found dead along a road just north of Emporia. Williams was a junior business management major and an All-American indoor and outdoor track athlete. He finished seventh in last season’s Division II outdoor 200-meter dash and eighth in the 2009 indoor 60 meters … Mike Jones, head coach of the Eastern Michigan men’s swimming and diving program from 1967-88, died November 4 at the age of 75. He was a 1955 graduate of the school and earned two master’s degrees there as well.