Dr. Anne Wright Crutchfield is in her second year as Vice President for Athletics at Emory & Henry College and seventh overall leading the Department of Athletics. She previously served for three years as Director of Athletics and two as Interim Director. She also spent five years (2014-19) as the Head Women's Basketball Coach. As Vice President for Athletics, Crutchfield oversees the Department of Athletics and its 29 varsity sports, the College's club sports program and serves on the President's Cabinet. She has also spearheaded the Department's efforts in realigning from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division II and joining the South Atlantic Conference.

In Crutchfield's time as an administrator, Emory & Henry has added or reinstated 11 sports - men's swimming, women's golf, men's & women's indoor & outdoor track & field, men's & women's wrestling, women's rugby, women's lacrosse and competitive cheerleading and dance - increasing the number of student-athletes to more than 600. This comes as part of the College's commitment to provide a place of access and belonging for students of all backgrounds. She has placed an emphasis on a servant leadership model for both staff members and student-athletes with the Department's mission stating that: "there is nothing more powerful than a humble person with a servant's heart and a warrior's spirit who plays for a higher purpose."

On the basketball court, Crutchfield posted a 98-40 overall record in five seasons as head coach with a 59-23 mark against Old Dominion Athletic Conference opponents. She led the Wasps to the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament in four of her five seasons, including a berth in the Championship game in 2018. That year, the Wasps reached the NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round in their first-ever national postseason berth and won a program-record 23 games. During her time, she saw six players earn a total of 13 All-ODAC accolades including a pair of ODAC Rookies of the Year. She was named ODAC Co-Coach of the Year by her peers for the 2017-18 season. Additionally, she coached Taylor Blevins to Honorable Mention All-America honors by the WBCA and a spot in the inaugural WBCA Women's Collegiate All-Star Game.

Outside of Emory & Henry, Crutchfield has been heavily involved with USA Basketball, coaching for the Winston-Salem Stealers - a USA Basketball Certified Youth Developmental program, and as an on-court coach for USA Basketball Regional Skills Clinics. She also completed the WBCA's Center for Coaching Excellence program at Columbia University in 2015. Additionally, she has helped to establish a Special Olympics unified basketball team in Southwest Virginia.

From 1995 to 2014, Crutchfield worked at Franklin County High School where she has held the positions of Mathematics Teacher and Guidance Counselor in addition to coaching girls' basketball for eight years. She also taught mathematics as an adjunct member of the Virginia Western Community College faculty from 2010-12. Crutchfield began her career at Patrick Henry High School (Glade Spring) in the math and science departments and as a basketball and track & field coach.

While at FCHS, she led the Eagles to seven regional appearances including a 19-6 record and a No. 5 ranking among VHSL 6A programs in 2013-14. The Eagles won four Western Valley District Tournament titles, as she coached three district players of the year, three VHSL All-State honorees and earned three district coach of the year awards. Crutchfield posted an overall high school record of 141-72, with 127 wins coming at the helm of Franklin County. During her time at Patrick Henry, she helped the Rebels to the 1991 Hogoheegee District and Region C Championship as well as a berth in the state tournament. During her final year at PHHS, she was the head coach, compiling a 14-6 record.

Crutchfield was a four-year letterwinner on the basketball court at Emory & Henry and was the first woman in ODAC history to be a four-year all-conference selection. She finished her career as the program’s leading scorer with 1,262 points, a mark that currently is third on the all-time scoring list. She was also a member of the 1988 ODAC Championship Team that went 18-7 with a 13-4 record against conference foes. Additionally, Crutchfield was inducted into the E&H Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Franklin County High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

Crutchfield graduated cum laude from Emory & Henry in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics, and completed graduate work in mathematics at East Tennessee State University while teaching at Patrick Henry. She earned her Master of Arts degree in counselor education from Virginia Tech in 2004 and a Doctor of Education in Global Sport Leadership from East Tennessee State in 2022.

Crutchfield and her husband Jon (E&H '91) have three daughters each of whom are Emory & Henry graduates. Haley graduated 2015, Emily in 2017 and Maggie in 2021.

-4/11/2024