Kansas Wesleyan University Athletic Director Miguel Paredes has been selected as the 2023-24 Athletic Director of the Year by the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Paredes’ selection from a pool of nominees comes after a vote by conference athletic directors. The award is managed by the KCAC Nominating Committee.
“I am extremely humbled to receive the KCAC Athletic Director of the Year award,” Paredes said. “However, I couldn’t have done all the things we have done by myself. This award is just as much an award for our athletics administration, coaches and student-athletes as it is for me.”
“We’re proud to see Miguel earn this honor,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. “His hard work and dedication to our mission is a great example for the department. However, this award is a credit to our entire staff and administration, and the support they provide each other each day.”
In 2023-24, Paredes led the Kansas Wesleyan Athletics Department to a second straight KCAC Commissioner’s Cup title, the fourth such win in the past five years.
KWU won seven KCAC championships this season and 134 games during conference play, a .713 winning percentage (134-54-3). The Coyotes also were the only KCAC school to win over 200 games overall, when factoring in records from 11 sports sponsored by the conference (football, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, flag football, baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis). KWU went 209-102-4, a .672 winning percentage, during the season in those 11 sports.
The Coyotes captured KCAC championships in football (co-division), women’s volleyball (co-regular season), baseball (regular season), competitive dance, women’s golf, men’s bowling invitational, and esports Overwatch.
Under Paredes, Head Baseball Coach Bill Neale led the KWU baseball team won a conference record 32 games and a school record 48 game, along with the Shreveport Opening Round Bracket, becoming the first KWU team to advance to the NAIA World Series.
Kansas Wesleyan also became the first KCAC institution to host a NAIA First and Second Round basketball event and play a game inside its own facility when the Coyotes hosted the NAIA First and Second Rounds in March inside Mabee Arena.
Success on the field and courts is just one way in which the Coyote athletic department has succeeded under Paredes’ leadership.
KWU’s overall athletic department GPA has improved from a 3.14 in 2022-23 to a best-ever 3.23 in 2023-24. KWU had 20 teams achieve better than a 3.0 GPA for the academic year, which will earn them NAIA Scholar Team status. A total of 16 teams improved their GPA between the fall and spring semesters. KWU had 73 student-athletes earn a 4.0 GPA in the spring semester, with 407 of 659 student-athletes earning at least a 3.25 GPA in the semester.
He also is assisting in the renovation of athletic facilities for the Coyotes. This summer, the Everett Morgan Strength Training Center is receiving a complete overhaul with new equipment, flooring and a renovated look, along with the renovation of the Men’s Volleyball Locker Room.
He has strategically added new staff in areas that have been traditionally underserved to better enhance the student-athlete experience. This includes the addition of an assistant athletic director to focus on developmental programs, staff in athletic training and athletic communications, and several coaching positions.
Paredes has also fostered enrollment growth through athletics, leading a 13 percent growth in student-athlete enrollment over the past year, while also helping improve KWU’s retention rate to an all-time high for the institution.
This Release is Courtesy of KWUCoyotes.com.
