Release courtesy of Mary Margaret Johnson, Daemen University Sports Information
AMHERST, NY – Daemen University Vice President for Athletics Traci Murphy has been selected as one of 28 recipients of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 2024-25 Athletics Directors of the Year Award. The award spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges). Murphy is one of four AD's to earn the award at the NCAA Division II level.
The winners of the NACDA AD of the Year Award will be recognized at the 60th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Orlando, Fla. on Tuesday, June 10. The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.
Traci Murphy was appointed Director of Athletics at Daemen on August 13, 2018 and brings more than 32 years of experience in the intercollegiate athletics industry to the position.
In just a short time, Daemen's NCAA Division II athletics program has experienced many successes under Murphy's leadership. Daemen teams have combined for 27 top-three finishes in their respective East Coast Conference standings, including 10 regular season conference championships and seven conference tournament titles. In addition, the men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, and women's soccer have each earned NCAA tournament berths. Men's basketball, women's basketball and women's volleyball have each won a NCAA regional to advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournament, and women's cross country has gone to the NCAA finals twice. This fall, Daemen was first in the ECC Commissioner's Cup standings for the first time in history. Daemen landed the 39th spot in the Learfield Cup Standings, the highest in department history.
Murphy was the leader in adding a women's lacrosse program that competed in their inaugural season in 2022-2023. She also found a home for the men's volleyball team into the NEC conference where they have finished second in the regular season in back-to-back seasons and won the program's first NEC Tournament title in April 2024.
The Division's achievements have not been exclusively relegated to the fields of competition. In the classroom, Daemen student-athletes posted a 3.35 GPA in spring 2024 and 3.29 in fall 2023. Fall 2024 marks the 23rd consecutive semester that student-athletes achieved a 3.0 or higher GPA.
Murphy played an important role in leading Daemen's COVID-19 response and finding a way for the teams to compete safely when many athletic programs decided to not participate. This comes in addition to her work on the college's Strategic Plan Steering Committee.
At the conference level, Murphy serves as vice president of the East Coast Conference Athletic Directors' Executive Committee. At the NCAA level she is currently the Division II ADA Second Vice President and previously served on the Board of Directors for two years. She was also on the NCAA implementation committee.
Active in the community, Murphy is a long-time volunteer with Western New York Girls in Sports, which empowers young girls to be healthy and confident through participation in sports and physical activity. She also serves on the advisory council of the Buffalo Sports Commission.
A member of College Women Leaders, she is also a graduate of the NCAA Pathway Program and the NCAA/Women Leaders Institute for Administrative Advancement.
The full list of the 2024-25 ADOTY winners is listed below.
| Winner |
Institution |
|
Football Bowl Subdivision |
| David Benedict |
University of Connecticut |
| Jeremiah Dickey |
Boise State University |
| Rick Hart |
SMU |
| Candice Storey Lee |
Vanderbilt University |
|
Football Championship Subdivision |
| Thorr Bjorn |
University of Rhode Island |
| Leon Costello |
Montana State University |
| Matt Larsen |
North Dakota State University |
| Ashley Robinson |
Jackson State University |
|
Division I-AAA |
| Janet Cone |
UNC Asheville |
| Brad Hurlbut |
FDU |
| Drew Marrochello |
Boston University |
| Eugene Marshall, Jr. |
Binghamton University |
|
Division II |
| Kevin Buisman |
Minnesota State University |
| Traci Murphy |
Daemen University |
| Chris Ratcliff |
Rogers State University |
| Vaughn Williams |
Bentley University |
|
Division III |
| Josh Centor |
Carnegie Mellon University |
| Bob King |
Trinity University |
| Mary Beth Spirk |
Moravian University |
| Michael Whalen |
Wesleyan University (Conn.) |
|
NAIA |
| Peter Dryer |
Arizona Christian University |
| Tony Hoops |
Northwestern College |
| Lucas Morgan |
LSU Shreveport |
| Devin Smith |
Concordia University (Neb.) |
|
Junior/Community College |
| Shannon Percell |
Green River College |
| Brian Rowan |
Rowan College South Jersey - Gloucester |
| George Sanders |
Florida SouthWestern State College |
| Mark Tucker |
Surry Community College |