General | 9/15/2022 12:51:00 PM
CALDWELL, Idaho – College of Idaho's
Reagan Rossi was selected as the 2022 NAIA Athletics Director of the Year, announced Thursday by the NAIA Office. It is the highest honor given by the NAIA to Athletic Directors across the nation and is the first NAIA National award for Rossi.
According to the NAIA announcement, Rossi won the award for her "contributions and achievements within her institution's athletics department and at a national level. This prestigious honor is awarded to an athletics director for their success and development within all facets of athletics administration over the course of the previous academic year."
"We are so proud of Reagan and the leadership she provides not just on our campus, but in the community, across our conferences and with the NAIA nationally," said College of Idaho Co-President Jim Everett, who was part of the team that nominated Rossi. "Her unwavering commitment to the well-being of every student on campus allowed us to navigate COVID-19 and to provide our student-athletes the best possible experience. She richly deserves this recognition and we are so grateful to learn from and work with Reagan every day."
"I am humbled to receive this honor," said Rossi. "I am thankful for an opportunity to work with an exceptional group of student-athletes, coaches, faculty and staff that make this honor possible. All of them continue to work hard to make me and this institution proud."
"Reagan is one of the best in the profession and we are thrilled to honor her as our Athletics Director of the Year," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "Reagan's service on a number of governing bodies within the NAIA clearly displays her commitment to the betterment of our association."
Earlier this year, Rossi was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference's Athletic Director of the Year for the third time in four years. It is the conference's top administrative honor selected by the member athletic directors, and the distinction qualified her to be nominated for the NAIA national award.
"On behalf of the entire conference, congratulations to
Reagan Rossi on this prestigious honor," stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. "Reagan works tirelessly on behalf of the student-athletes at The College of Idaho, as well as the CCC and the NAIA. This recognition is well deserved and will be celebrated."
While the national award is the first for Rossi, it is not the first for The College of Idaho. Former Athletic Director and current Special Assistant to the Co-Presidents Marty Holly previously won the National AD award in 2013.
Rossi is in her 22
nd year with the Coyotes and seventh at the helm of the department where she is the Vice President of Athletics. In 2021-22, Rossi's Coyotes made 10 NAIA National Championship appearances, including serving as a host for the NAIA Men's Basketball Opening Round. The Yotes won three CCC regular-season championships and one tournament championship.
Rossi worked with the College's development team on the first-ever Athletics Give Day event titled "Clash of the Coyotes," and the led the annual Go Purple Steak Feed fundraising event to a record $200,000. She is currently working on fundraising renovations for the J.A. Albertson Activities Center and recently finalized fundraising and planning for the Buffington/Christensen Hitting Facility for baseball and softball.
Under Rossi, the department completed new lights and upgraded drainage and sprinkler systems at Symms Field, the Coyotes' softball facility. She also oversaw new field goal netting for the football goalposts at Simplot Stadium.
Academically, the Coyotes have seen 146 NAIA Scholar-Athletes named over the 2021-2022 school year – which is the most in department history and the most on the West Coast. All 18 Coyote teams were named NAIA Scholar Teams, including Women's Cross Country, which boasted the fifth-best team GPA in the NAIA with a 3.87.
In addition to those academic distinctions, 156 Coyotes earned Academic All-Conference honors – 61 fall, 12 winter, 83 spring – and 18 picked up Academic All-District honors, with six going on to be named Academic All-Americans. The Coyote women's volleyball team also picked up the AVCA Award. The Coyotes instill the Champion of Character mentality and hosted the Canyon County Special Olympics event day, partnered with the Idaho Food Bank, WICAP, and City of Caldwell for Canyon County Food Drives.
Rossi serves as the Third Vice President on the ADA Board and is on the NAC Ratings and Postseason Selection Committee. She is the NAC Volleyball Liaison – Ratings Oversight and Selection Committee Chair, a member of NAIA RISE and the NAIA Opening Round Task Force, and is on the Schedule Creep Committee, the Women's Basketball Selection Committee, Title IX Committee, Marathon Committee and the Conduct and Ethics Committee. She presented on mental health and wellness at the most recent NAIA Convention.
Rossi will be formally presented the award at an awards luncheon and ceremony during the 2023 NAIA National Convention in New Orleans, which takes place March 30-April 3, 2023.
