Morgan State University Athletics

Dena Freeman-Patton is serving in her fifth year as the Vice President and Director of Athletics at Morgan State University. With her selection, Freeman-Patton became the first woman in Morgan's 155-year history to be hired to lead its athletic operations. In her role, she oversees the athletics department and intramural sports and activities at Morgan State. Freeman-Patton reports directly to the president and serves on his Cabinet as a member of the senior administrative team. 
 
Since Freeman-Patton arrived at The National Treasure, Morgan State University’s Athletics Department has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a model of excellence and success within the NCAA. Most recently, over 60% of Morgan State student-athletes posted a 3.0 GPA or above with 96 student-athletes earning a perfect 4.0 GPA across the 2025-26 academic year. For the third consecutive year, Morgan State student-athletes swept the MEAC’s Female Postgraduate Scholarship, Woman of the Year, and Male Student-Athlete of the Year honors, further highlighting the department’s commitment to academic achievement and student-athlete success. 
 
Athletically, Morgan State has continued to establish itself as a competitive force, producing 173 MEAC All-Conference selections, 23 conference-level individual and coaching honors, and 318 student-athletes named to the Commissioners’ All-Academic Team. The Bears’ recent accomplishments include the women’s tennis program capturing both the 2026 MEAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships. The softball program has secured two MEAC Regular Season Championships and made an NCAA Tournament appearance, while Women’s Basketball has advanced to the WNIT postseason tournament and Men’s Tennis has earned an NIT appearance. Additionally, two Morgan State football student-athletes have advanced to the professional level as undrafted free agents, with one entering his second professional season and the other begins his first professional season in 2026-27.
 
Under Freeman-Patton’s leadership, Morgan State Athletics has also expanded opportunities for student-athletes through the addition of new sports programs. Wrestling and acrobatics and tumbling were introduced during the 2023-24 academic year, with Morgan State making history as the first Division I HBCU to sponsor an acrobatics and tumbling program. Continuing that commitment to growth and opportunity, the Bears have announced the addition of men’s and women’s golf, with both programs scheduled to begin competition in the 2027-28 academic year. 
 
Freeman-Patton has nearly 30 years of experience in collegiate athletics administration. She was formerly the associate vice president and director of athletics for California State University, Dominguez Hills, and served in executive roles at University of New Orleans, California State University, Bakersfield, Georgia State University, and the University of Maryland, College Park.
 
In 2024, Freeman-Patton was appointed to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Series (FCS) Oversight Committee and selected to serve a four-year term. She also serves on the Men’s NIT Tournament Committee and Women’s Sports Foundation College Committee. Freeman-Patton was appointed as the 2020 chair of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and in 2018 was named as the Women Leader in College Sports Administrator of the Year.
 
A Baltimore native, Freeman-Patton was a three-sport athlete at Lake Clifton High. She also lettered as a Division I student-athlete in basketball at Liberty University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in sports management in 1996. She later received a master's in sports administration from Georgia State University in 1999.