Grace College Athletics recently issued the following announcement.
Briscoe named NAIA AD of the Year by NACDA
The National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has selected Grace College's Chad Briscoe as the NAIA Athletic Director of the Year.
NACDA chooses winners of the Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year award across all seven divisions of collegiate athletics (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA, Junior College).
Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 57th annual NACDA Convention at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas on June 28.
The AD of the Year award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and surrounding communities.
"I am honored and humbled to receive this honor alongside so many tremendous Athletic Directors in our industry. This award is a direct reflection of the incredible work that our coaches and student-athletes put in every day," Briscoe said. "I am very thankful for the platform we have at Grace to share Christ in the arena of athletics."
Briscoe is concluding the 13th year of his impressive career guiding the Lancers. He has been named the Crossroads League's Athletic Director of the Year three times (2021, 2017, 2010) and is a leader at the conference and national levels.
The Lancers have achieved unparalleled success in recent years under Briscoe's leadership. Prior to 2019, Grace had two national titles in school history. But since 2019, Grace has added seven national championships in seven different sports. The school was named given the NCCAA Presidential Award in the summer of 2021 as the top institution in the NCCAA.
Grace's teams have experienced strong success at the NAIA level as well this year. Men's basketball just completed an impressive run to the NAIA Sweet Sixteen, winning its most games (27) since 1992.
Men's and women's cross country both qualified as a team for the NAIA National Championships — a first-time accomplishment for both to qualify in the same year. Both also won the NCCAA national title in the fall.
Women's soccer clinched its spot in the NAIA tournament for the fourth straight year and won the NCCAA championship in December.
Additionally, men's tennis, track and field and men's soccer also have been mainstays this year in the NAIA Top 25. Grace is on pace for one of its highest finishes ever in the Crossroads League's All Sports Standings.
Briscoe is heavily involved in NAIA leadership. He has been a member of the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the past six years. For three years he was on the NAC's Executive Committee, chairing the Championships and Competition Committee. He was recently elected to be the vice chair for the NAC's Executive Committee this past summer.
He is also the NAC's sport liaison for men's basketball, helping assist the sport through its transition to a single-single-division national tournament. He also served on the first two NAIA Men's Basketball Selection Committees, which select and seed the national tournament teams.
Additionally, he has guided Grace to hosting the NCCAA Men's and Women's Basketball National Championships since 2012, and he is also serving as the Vice President of the NCCAA.
Under his leadership, Grace has cemented its status as an academic powerhouse as well. Every Lancer team has achieved NAIA Scholar-Team status for five straight seasons. Teams must post a GPA of 3.00 or greater to earn Scholar-Team recognition. Last year, the athletic department had an overall GPA of 3.47, marking the highest overall GPA in department history.
Briscoe has also become a voice of leadership for character-building in athletics in the region. He has initiated several Sportsmanship Summits for local high school conferences to build character training and camaraderie among rival schools. As a result, he has been asked to speak at numerous venues statewide to inspire the same character-based education.
Recently retired Grace College president Dr. Bill Katip added: "Chad is the epitome of a servant leader, and he is a primary reason for the resurgence of our athletic department over the past decade. While he is a competitor at the core, his central focus in leading the Lancers is to grow and develop each young man and woman into a 'Champion of Character.' Chad is a man of the utmost character and is a phenomenal representation of Grace College, the Crossroads League and the NAIA at all times."
Original source can be found here.
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