CORVALLIS, Ore. – For the second time in three years, the College of Idaho’s Reagan Rossi was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Athletic Director of the Year, the conference announced Friday. The award is the CCC’s top administrative honor selected by the conference’s athletic directors.
"Congratulations to Reagan on being selected as the 2020-21 CCC AD of the Year," stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. "Under her guidance, the Yotes continue to excel in competition, as well as, academically. Reagan leads by example and epitomizes what it means to be selfless – which is a trait reflected among the staff and student-athletes of the Yote family."
Rossi is in her 20
th year at C of I and her fifth as the Athletic Director. This year, Rossi was promoted to Vice President of Athletics.
Despite a challenging year due to the COVID pandemic, Rossi was able to pivot in budget development and used crowd funding as a tool to help fund national travel for women’s soccer and softball. The Coyotes also transitioned sponsors to live, in-game stream advertising.
Rossi also helped to develop a Certificate Program in Sports Management/Leadership to address the extra season of competition granted by the NAIA. It ensures student-athletes stay on track to graduate in four years while still being able to complete their eligibility with an extra program that is value added and cost effective.
Under Rossi’s leadership, College of Idaho collaborated with the City of Caldwell to add lights to both Simplot Stadium (football, soccer and lacrosse) and Wolfe Field (baseball), while also starting the replacement of lights and poles at Symms Field (softball).
Rossi has implemented individual meetings with all head coaches, athletic department staff and support staff, and developed student-athlete evaluations.
This year, the Coyotes established new CCC records for scholar-athletes in a season, as 151 student-athletes earned Academic All-CCC honors, with the number growing to 187 after adding the 36 football players who earned honors from the Frontier Conference. On 2020 NAIA Awards Day, 121 C of I student-athletes were named NAIA Scholar-Athletes, nearly double the previous top mark (62), while every team sponsored by the College had a 3.0 cumulative grade point average – earning NAIA Scholar Team honors.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, C of I continued to engage student-athletes with the Champions of Character initiative. The Coyote Student Athlete Advisory Council hosted a virtual speaker series on various topics (personal growth, mental health, leadership) and makes a priority that coaches/staff are on the forefront of campus projects.
Rossi saw five teams win conference championships – women’s soccer, women’s cross country, men’s track and field, women’s track and field, and football. Coyote women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s indoor/outdoor track and field, and softball all advanced to the NAIA postseason.
Rossi is a member of the ADA Board and the NAC: Ratings and Postseason Selection Committee. She serves as the Volleyball Liaison – Ratings Oversight for the NAC. She is also a member of the Women’s Basketball Selection Committee, Regular Season Format, Conduct and Ethics Committee, NAIA Opening Round Task Force, Title IX Committee and the Marathon Committee.