Larson Named 2023-24 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
CLEVELAND (March 20, 2024) - Iowa Western's Shane Larson is one of 28 winners of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) AD of the Year Award.
The award spans seven divisions (NCAA, FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges). The winners will be honored at the 59th annual NACDA and Affiliates Convention at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., at the beginning of the Association-Wide Featured Session on Tuesday, June 11, starting at 4 p.m.
The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.
"This is a great honor for Shane Larson and Iowa Western Community College," said IWCC President Dr. Dan Kinney." Shane has come in and taken Reiver Athletics to the next level and helped create a national powerhouse in junior college athletics. He provides countless hours improving the experience for all student-athletes within the ICCAC and NJCAA, serving on multiple committees and hosting national championship events.
Since August 2023, Iowa Western has brought home NJCAA National Championships in women's soccer, football, and women's indoor track & field and a University World Cup Championship in competitive cheer. Along with nine individual national titles, 354 student-athletes have earned a 3.0 GPA or higher during the Fall semester.
"I am extremely grateful for this recognition and I want to thank the NACDA selection committee for their consideration," said Larson. "Knowing many of the past recipients, I am humbled to be included in such a prestigious group. I am blessed to be at an institution that provides outstanding support to our student-athletes and coaches. I want to thank our coaches and athletic staff for their outstanding efforts."
After being named Iowa Western's Athletic Director in June of 2021, Larson has overseen the completion of the Dr. John & Jean Marshall Baseball and Softball Complex and the beginning stages of developing the new John and Harriet Wiebe Football and Soccer Complex, slated to be completed this coming Fall. Larson has also championed the addition of Iowa Western ESports just three months into the job and Men's and Women's Swimming which was announced this past February, bringing the department to 25 men's and women's sports.
"An Award like this is truly reflective of an amazing team," added Larson. "I want to thank Dr. Kinney for this amazing opportunity to be a part of Reiver Athletics. The success we have had over the past few years is the result of his leadership and support."
Iowa Western has had 18 teams earn NJCAA Academic Team of the Year status (3.0 GPA or higher collectively) since his arrival in Council Bluffs, and 248 student-athletes have garnered NJCAA All-Academic honors (3.5 GPA or higher). The department has also won the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Daktronics Cup twice, in 2022 and 2023, as well as the Learfield Director's Cup in 2022 for department excellence during Larson's tenure. In addition to the championships won in the last seven months, Iowa Western has brought titles back to "The Bluffs" in volleyball (2021), men's soccer (2021), women's indoor and outdoor track (2022), women's soccer (2022), football (2022), shotgun sports (2022 & 2023), cheerleading (2023), and competitive dance (2023) all during Larson's time at IWCC.
In addition to his duties on campus, Larson also sits on five NJCAA Committies and is the Chair of the Track & Field Committee, overseeing a number of responsibilities throughout the year. These duties include the oversight of national rankings, All-America selections, postseason seeding and at-large selections as well as national championship obligations, including hosting the NJCAA Wrestling Championships at the Mid-American Center in Council Bluffs.
This is the 5th time Iowa Western has received the AD of the Year Award, Brenda Hampton won it three times in 2008-09, 2011-12, and 2014-15, and Jeremy Capo was awarded this honor in 2018-19.
Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional presidents and conference commissioners, as well as other respected intercollegiate athletics administrators. Special Divisional Selection Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, current and former commissioners and other key athletics administrators voted on nominees for the award.
About NACDA: Now in its 59th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts six major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country.