Salem's Suiter to step down from NJSIAA post

ROBBINSVILLE, N.J. – Salem athletic director Dave Suiter yesterday presided over his final executive committee meeting as president of the NJSIAA.

Suiter will step down at the end of the school year after serving a one-year term.

"It's been the highlight of my professional career," Suiter said. "I got to see fencing. I got to see gymnastics. I had the opportunity to work in this position for the best state athletic organization in the country. It's been great."

NJSIAA executive director Steve Timko praised Suiter for his hard work and leadership as well as his commitment to attending as many championship events as possible. "We had so many tournament directors comment how Dave was always there," Timko said.

James Sarruda, superintendent of the Northern Burlington School District, will replace Suiter as NJSIAA president, also serving a one-year term.

Heavy penalty. By a 26-0 vote, the executive committee approved the recommendation by the controversies committee that Create Charter's athletic program be suspended for two years.

Create Charter is located in Jersey City. While on probation for previous NJSIAA violations, the school was cited for using an ineligible player in boys' basketball, for running an athletic recruiting advertisement in a newspaper, and for allowing a person who was charged with armed robbery to accompany the boys' basketball team on the bus, according to the controversies committee report.

This and that. After much wrangling, the leagues and conferences committee finalized formation of the seven "superconferences" in North and Central Jersey, recommending that no changes be made until September 2012. The new alignments will take full effect in September 2010. . . . The leagues and conferences committee approved cooperative programs combining athletes from Gateway and Woodbury in boys' and girls' cross-country, wrestling, and boys' and girls' swimming, as well as athletes from Camden and Woodrow Wilson in wrestling.