Lizzie Hissey '15 spent five seasons with the her alma mater, as W&M's first-ever Director of Operations. Hissey assisted the Tribe coaching staff with administrative aspects of the program, including supporting on-campus recruiting efforts, team travel, equipment, and management of all home competitive and community events. Her time on staff included helping oversee a complete changeover of uniform sponsor, and overhauling and updating W&M's meet management processes to keep the Tribe at the forefront of meet hosting in the East Coast region.
No stranger to the Tribe, Hissey graduated in 2015 after spending her final two years at W&M, and last year was a volunteer assistant with the pole-vaulters. In her first season on the sidelines, Hissey helped with the development of Jacqueline Meeks into an ECAC qualifier both indoors and outdoors, clearing a best-height of 3.70m (12-1.5) in the transfer's first season at W&M. She also helped Derek O'Connell become W&M's first-ever pole vault All-American, when he placed seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championship, and then saw the Tribe men's team sweep the first five places at the CAA Championships outdoors.
During her collegiate career and immediately afterwards, Hissey also interned with a number of local fitness centers in both instructional and administrative roles, and helped with the timing of a major regional triathlon. Her volunteering efforts include several roles in her local church, as well as Relay for Life. While a student at Virginia Tech from 2011-13, she was President of the VT chapter of Athletes in Action, and since coming to W&M, she was the top fund-raiser for the 2013 Massey Cancer Center 5K.
Hissey began her collegiate career as a sprinter and vaulter at Virginia Tech, and transferred to W&M prior to the 2013-14 school year. In her senior season of 2014-15, she broke the Tribe's all-time record in the pole vault with a leap of 4.17m (13-8.25) indoors, and finished with the two-best all-time vaults and five of the top-10 indoors. She also ranks third all-time outdoors at 3.86m (12-8), and was the CAA runner-up in 2015 after taking second at ECAC Championships indoors and seventh outdoors. In high school, she graduated as the state of Virginia's all-time record-holder in the pole vault, and won three state titles and a pair of All-American honors.
Hissey, nee Powell, graduated from W&M in 2015 with a degree in kinesiology and health sciences. She married former W&M standout and professional baseball player Ryan Hissey in 2017, and resides with her husband in Williamsburg.
