There are fewer than 15 women currently working as athletic administrators in Maine, a paltry number considering the thousands of girls who play high school sports in the state.

One of those few female athletic administrators, however, now holds the top position among the state’s athletic administrators .

Julie Treadwell, who is in her 10th year as the athletic director at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, began a term last month as the first female president of the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

She spent seven years on the MIAAA’s board of directors, most recently as first vice president, before taking the top job.

Although she’s the first female to lead the MIAAA, Treadwell said gender really isn’t an issue.

“I’d love to have more [women involved], but to me good leadership is good leadership, so the gentlemen around the table are just as appropriate at looking at all sides of things,” she said. “I don’t worry about it too much, to be honest. Around the table of people working on athletic issues, we’re all in the same battle.”

The only other woman currently serving in a leadership position in the MIAAA is Yarmouth athletic director Susan Robbins, although she isn’t serving on the board of directors. Robbins is the Leadership Training Coordinator and is also responsible for the MIAAA awards program and all nominations for awards for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

There are currently 145 MIAAA members.

Treadwell, an Orono High and University of Maine graduate who played basketball for the Black Bears, has been at MCI for 24 years as a teacher, administrator and coach and has been involved in the MIAAA for at least 16 years.

“Obviously it’s good for me to continue to challenge myself as an educational leader and in the world of athletics,” she said. “To me, it’s partly my responsibility to go through the ranks and be the president so I can try to give everybody all the great things that have been given to me.”

Treadwell said she doesn’t have any specific issues she tends to pursue during her yearlong tenure, but the MIAAA usually focuses its spring conference on professional development programs for its members.

Some of those programs might include help in budgeting or fundraising.

“My goal is to hopefully give them some tools to help them do their job right now and how can we as a state association try to support them, give them tools, information, bring in people that can help us maintain our enthusiasm for what we do,” she said. “It’s a tough job, there are long hours, but there are some really great people in this state.”

Two former MIAAA presidents have gone on to lead the national association, including current NIAAA president Gerry Durgin, who is at Gorham High.

Treadwell doesn’t have national aspirations, however.

“For me to sit here and say I’m the president of the state is enough for me,” she said with a laugh. “It’s not that I wouldn’t at some point, but I will always be someone who wants to work hard in their state or in their region.”

EM stars looking at CBB schools

Three of Maine’s top female athletes could wind up facing each other frequently next year at Colby, Bates and Bowdoin colleges.

Bangor senior Amy Hackett is hoping she will end up at Bowdoin College in Brunswick next fall, while Lee Academy classmates Amanda Gifford and Aarika Ritchie could wind up playing against each other at Bates in Lewiston and Colby in Waterville, respectively.

All three girls played in Sunday’s Maine Soccer Coaches’ Senior Bowl, an all-star game for the top seniors in the state.

Hackett, who is applying early decision to Bowdoin, wants to play soccer and basketball as a freshman, at least to see how it goes before picking one sport over the other.

“I want to do both, but I think after the first year I’d have to see how it went with the work load,” said Hackett, who wants to be a pre-med major. “Two sports is a lot to take on for your first year of college. I’m definitely going to try both. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But I’m not ready to choose yet.”

The Bowdoin basketball team is traditionally one of the top NCAA Div. III programs in the nation. The Polar Bears went 29-2 and advanced to an NCAA regional final.

“Both soccer and basketball are outstanding programs there,” Hackett said. “The basketball team does really well, so that’s exciting.”

Gifford said she is considering Bates along with Maine Maritime Academy in Castine and Franklin Pierce in Rindge, N.H.

“Bates is my top choice,” she said. “I’m hoping to play soccer and basketball.”

The Bobcat basketball team went 15-9 before losing in the New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinals last winter.

If Ritchie ends up at Colby, she’ll be part of a rebuilding process in basketball. The White Mules have struggled lately, especially in the competitive NESCAC with Bowdoin and Bates. Colby went 6-17 last season and won just one conference game.

She plans to apply early decision to Colby, which is her top choice.

“Coach [Lori] McBride is really looking to build up the program there,” Ritchie said. “That’s motivation for me because I’ve been on winning high school teams and this is something new to step into. I’m looking forward to it.”

Most colleges notify early-decision applicants of their admission status by the middle of December.

Hackett and Ritchie were both honorable mention selections for the Bangor Daily News’ All-Maine basketball team last year. Ritchie was the Eastern Maine Class D MVP during last winter’s basketball tournament. Gifford was a member of the all-tourney team.

Both Lee girls helped the Pandas win the 2007 Class D state title in basketball, the Eastern Maine Class D softball championship last spring and the Eastern Maine Class C soccer crown this fall.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.