Rowan College of South Jersey’s executive director of athletics, Brian Rowan, has been named athletic director of the year for the 2024-’25 school year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Rowan received his first NACDA award at the 60th annual convention of the association and its affiliates in Orlando, Florida, last month. The award – which incorporates seven divisions – is judged on factors that include success, leadership, meaningful contributions and a commitment to the well-being of students. Rowan was one of 28 recipients of the honor, according to the college.
“That’s like a crown of achievement,” Rowan said. “I don’t know how often you can get that. We’ve had it twice in the history of our program. There have only been a few other schools that have won it. Mostly, they’re in the Midwest. They’re really big two-year colleges, but for us as a small school, that’s the biggest.”
Rowan has helped the college’s Roadrunners achieve much success during his tenure as director. The school won the 2023-2024 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, which recognizes Rowan as the premier two-year college in the county. Its baseball program won its third straight NJCAA championship in the spring, the first time it has ever pulled off a three-peat. And 13 of 16 Rowan College teams qualified for national championship tournaments.
“It (Roadrunners Athletics) is part of something that’s bigger than just your one season here,” the director noted. “I think that leads people to want to come back. We hear all the time … ‘I wish I could stay two more years …
“That’s the positive experience we want all our students to have, so they do think of us, and they connect.”
Rowan himself is also a former college athlete who played both tennis and basketball at Rowan’s Gloucester County campus, then known as Gloucester County College.
“I hope that we can turn it over to people that want to have the same values and commitment that we’ve had,” he offered. “I hope that all the student athletes who were here have felt like they’re part of something bigger than a team, a true program that cares about them and will remember them and is committed to hard work, student-athlete success, and a great experience for everybody involved.
“I hope to always leave things in a better place than I found them.”
