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Craig McPhail of Lees-McRae is Official Conference Carolinas Nominee for NACDA AD of the Year

 
Craig McPhail of Lees-McRae will be the official nomination from Conference Carolinas for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) AD of the Year Award for the 2020-21 academic year.

 
McPhail will serve as the official nomination for Conference Carolinas after receiving the honor from a vote among the current Directors of Athletics in the conference.
 
“Conference Carolinas is excited to submit this nomination for Craig McPhail as our nominee for the NACDA Athletic Director of the Year Award,” Conference Carolinas Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “This is a special nomination for me personally. I have been Commissioner of Conference Carolinas for a year and a half and there is not another single person who has played a bigger impact in the transition to new leadership in the conference staff.”
 
McPhail currently serves as the Chair of the Conference Carolinas Directors of Athletics Committee.
 
“Craig has also done a phenomenal job this year as Director of Athletics in a very difficult year in leading the athletics department in a pandemic,” Colvin continued. “Their athletic enrollment and fundraising numbers are solid despite the challenges they are facing. They have also installed a new turf. It’s clear as I talk to members of the Lees-McRae staff, and even members of the Board of Trustees, that the relationships that he has built with the campus community are second-to-none and it’s a huge reason for the success they are having.”
 
McPhail is presently in his 11th year as Vice President for Athletics at Lees-McRae, where he oversees all day-to-day operations of the Lees-McRae athletic department and the 23 varsity sports, along with several club sport programs.

The NACDA AD of the Year Award program was created to honor intercollegiate Directors of Athletics for their commitment and administrative excellence within a campus and/or college community environment over the course of the last year. While the circumstances have been anything but normal, NACDA feels it is important now more than ever to recognize member Athletics Directors who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, serving as a source of strength and inspiration as they guide their departments through these unprecedented times.

The award encompasses seven divisions — NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior/Community Colleges. A total of 28 Athletics Directors will be honored. Winners will be recognized in conjunction with NACDA’s 56th Annual Convention, to be held virtually July 27-28.