LA GRANDE, Ore. – After leading Northwest Christian University to one of the top athletic years in school history, Beacons athletic director Corey Anderson has been named Cascade Conference Athletic Director of the Year, the conference office announced on Thursday.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition from the CCC as a representative of NCU Athletics,” said Anderson. “Together, my team along with a great coaching staff and a professional trio of ATC’s, we have been able to be a part of something very special in growing the NCU Athletic Department over the years. For me, this individual recognition is a direct reflection of the success of NCU student-athletes on the field of play, classroom and in the community. I am honored and extremely blessed to be able to lead my team and receive this recognition.”
Anderson, in his ninth year as AD at NCU, helped the Beacon coaches earn a record 23 All-Cascade Conference selections, as well as a record three All-American selections. The Beacons had the highest student-athlete population in four years.
"On behalf of the CCC, I extend our congratulations to Corey," stated Commissioner Rob Cashell. "His commitment to to the overall development of the student-athlete is evident and he is a well-respected leader within the conference."
Anderson oversees an athletic scholarship budget of $736,000 in his role at NCU, and helped to manage a $125,000 fundraising effort in men’s basketball for additional scholarships and assistance to the NAIA national tournament in Point Lookout, Mo. He oversees eight head coaches in 12 sports, 24 assistant coaches and four athletic staff members.
“I am proud of the work that Corey does in the public eye, but am probably even more impressed with the work he does behind the scenes,” said Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment Michael Fuller. “I consistently receive compliments from conference AD’s and Coaches, local service organizations and our church community about how respectful our student-athletes are. This is Corey’s leadership showing through. Corey does a phenomenal job guiding our athletic program and is a very strong leader for our coaches and our student-athletes.”
Among facility improvements was the purchase of a tarp and storage facility for the softball field, decreasing the number of games affected by weather. He also worked with Willamalane and minor-league soccer teams to plan and prepare finances for an upgrade to the soccer facility, including permanent bleachers, fencing and a scoreboard.
The Beacons earned 44 Academic All-CCC selections under Anderson, including 21 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes. 10 of 12 teams earned NAIA Scholar Team honors while five student-athletes earned Capitol One/CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, showing an emphasis on academics.
Northwest Christian is also heavily involved in community service activities under Anderson. They have put on Special Olympics coaches clinics for the past several years and the men’s and women’s basketball teams put on a clinic this season for around 50 student-athletes.
Anderson is a 1994 graduate of the University of Oregon with a bachelor of arts in Recreation Management. He is also former head men’s basketball coach for the Beacons.