Pair of Summit League ADs Earn National Awards
DALLAS, Texas - Two Summit League Directors of Athletics received Under Armour AD of the Year honors today at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Oral Roberts’ Mike Carter earned the Division I Central Region award and North Dakota State’s Gene Taylor was named as FCS Central Region recipient.
Both Carter and Taylor received their awards at the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon during NACDA’s Annual Convention in Dallas.
Carter’s Golden Eagles enjoyed success on and off the field of competition during 2011-12, posting a 3.15 cumulative GPA, the highest in the last 15 years and the fifth year in a row in which the overall GPA has risen. ORU also claimed three regular season Summit League championships (men's basketball, baseball and women's tennis) and three Summit League Tournament championships (women's golf, women's tennis and baseball).
The tournament championships by women's golf and baseball continued two of the nation's most impressive streaks, as the Golden Eagles have now won 15 straight tournament titles in both sports.
In addition to the six Summit League championships, the Golden Eagles also had a National Champion in Jack Whitt, who won the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Pole Vault title.
In addition to his work at ORU, Carter was the chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee in 2002 and 2003, and was reappointed to the committee this past season. He has also served on the executive committee for the NCAA Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association.
Taylor collected his second Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year Award, winning previously in 2008. At the conclusion of the 2011-12 season, North Dakota State earned its first Summit League Commissioner's Cup with a total of 111.5 points. NDSU also claimed the top spot for the Dr. Helen Smiley Women's All-Sports Award. The Bison won both the overall and women's awards after placing among the top-five in every women's sport in which it competes. NDSU won a total of six championships in women's cross country, volleyball, women's indoor track & field, softball and men's and women's outdoor track & field. NDSU also took second in men's cross country, women's soccer and women's golf.
The Bison football team won the 2011 FCS National Championship in their second playoff appearance.
Taylor came to NDSU after a 15-year stint at the United States Naval Academy in athletics administration. He recently began a four-year term on the FCS ADA Executive Committee in 2011.
All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States,
Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award.
Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five
academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and
student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and
the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of
accomplishments. Additionally, each AD's institution must have
passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body
(i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have
been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control
within the last five years during the tenure of the current
athletics director.
Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional
presidents and conference commissioners. Special Selection
Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics,
present and past NCAA and NAIA presidents, current and former
commissioners and other key athletics administrators voted on
nominees for the award. A complete listing of Selection Committee
members can be found on NACDA's Web site at
www.nacda.com.
