Rob Cashell of Eastern Oregon (left) and Matt English of Concordia have been named the CCC Athletic Directors of the Year.
EOU's Cashell, CU's English CCC AD's of Year
PORTLAND, Ore. – Rob Cashell of Eastern Oregon University and Matt English of Concordia University have been voted the 2009-10 Cascade Collegiate Conference Athletic Directors of the Year, the conference office announced.
The award was voted on by the athletic directors in the 10-team CCC.
English just completed his second year as AD at Concordia; Cashell completed his ninth year as director of athletics at Eastern Oregon.
Under English’s leadership, Concordia captured the CCC all-sports trophy for the second consecutive year and placed 13th nationally in the final Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings, which measures overall athletic success at the NAIA level. Concordia won or shared regular season CCC titles in women’s soccer, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, men’s track, and women’s track, and posted runner-up finishes in men’s soccer and women’s cross country.
Nationally, four Cavalier teams placed in the top 10 of their respective sports: women’s soccer (t-3rd), men’s outdoor track and field (5th), women’s golf (5th) and women’s outdoor track and field (7th).
Two Concordia student-athletes were recipients of major national awards presented by the NAIA this past academic year: baseball player Dylan Smith, who was named the winner of the Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award; and track and field athlete Andria Scheese, who was the winner of the NAIA-CTSA “All That’s Right in Sport” Award. Nine CU athletes earned conference Player of the Year honors.
English also helped spearhead the hosting of the 2009 NAIA Cross Country National Championships, which were held at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site this past November, and collaborated with Concordia’s Office of Service Learning to form the Student-Athlete Corps, which focuses on community service.
“I am truly honored to receive this award from my fellow athletic directors,” said English. “We are blessed to have a supportive administration and especially an amazing group of coaches and staff. This award is really a tribute to their hard work and passion for student-athletes. We also have a wonderful group of student-athletes who deserve a great deal of credit for their commitment to excellence and character, which is reflected by their numerous accolades during this past year. It was an exceptional year, one of the best in history for Concordia Athletics in the classroom, on the field and in the community.”
For Cashell, it marks the second time he has been recognized as a CCC AD of the Year (he also won the award in 2008). Under his leadership, Eastern Oregon finished third in the CCC’s all-sports standings in 2009-10, and the student-athlete population had a 3.02 GPA through winter term.
Cashell also helped spearhead the remodeling of a student-athlete computer lab, secured funding to improve the EOU tennis courts, raised funds for a new football scoreboard, and oversaw improvements to the department’s fitness center. Last week, Cashell was honored as the West Region AD of the Year in EOU’s division by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
"We have an outstanding group of AD's in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, and it is an honor to be recognized by my peers,” said Cashell, who is completing his ninth year as EOU’s athletic director. “This is certainly a team award to be shared with the fantastic staff and student-athletes I get to work with every day.”