The Shipley School appointed Mark Duncan Interim Director of Athletics on July 25, 2007. Duncan has been serving as Director of Upper School Physical Education and Sports Information. He takes over for departing Director of Athletics, Dan Serfass, who was recently named Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Radnor High School in Wayne, PA.

Serfass has served as Director of Athletics at Shipley for the past seven years. During his tenure he has overseen and guided the acceptance and transition into the Friends Schools League and Shipley's very successful string of FSL championships in boys' and girls' soccer and lacrosse, field hockey, softball, boys' tennis, and the golf squad that Serfass coached in 2006.

The newly appointed Duncan has spent the past six-and-a-half years working with Serfass in the Athletics Department at Shipley and as the varsity boys’ lacrosse coach. Before he came to Shipley, Duncan spent over three years as a public high school English teacher and at-risk reading teacher in California at Norwalk High School. At the same time, he did graduate work at California State University LA’s Charter School of Education to earn his teacher's certification in English.

“I am honored to take over after all of the hard work that Dan Serfass has done and the success that he has achieved with the Shipley Athletics and Physical Education programs.” Duncan says. “Dan has done an amazing job building a highly successful athletics program to match Shipley’s top-notch academics. His legacy will be seen for years to come and I am privileged to be able to follow his achievements. I wish him all the best and know he will have the same success in the future that he had at Shipley.”

In addition to his teaching experience, Duncan coached Whittier College’s NCAA Div. III men’s lacrosse team to a 19-1 record and a WCLL Championship. Duncan also played Div. I men’s lacrosse at Lehigh University while earning his BA in English and was a  team captain in 1998 and a four-year letter-winner. He is the all-time leading goal scorer at Lehigh and was the 1997 Div. I NCAA leading goal scorer and 1997, 1998 1st team All-Patriot League selection for attack. In 1998 he was honored as the first-ever pre-season All-American at Lehigh and the 1998 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. In high school, Duncan was a key member of the 1992 undefeated NY State Championship lacrosse squad.

At Shipley, Duncan has guided the boys’ varsity lacrosse team to their only two league titles (’05, ’06) and consecutive state playoff appearances in 2005 and 2006. The 2006 Shipley squad set a school record for wins with 16, topping the 2005 team’s record of 15 wins.