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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Baylor’s Rhoades Named 2021 SBJ Athletics Director of the Year<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Contacts: </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt">David Kaye, Baylor Athletics Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">254-709-5147</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> |
</span><a href="mailto:Lori_Fogleman@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">David_Kaye@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Lori W. Fogleman, Baylor University, Office of Media and Public Relations<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">254-709-5959 | </span><a href="mailto:Lori_Fogleman@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Lori_Fogleman@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> |
</span><a href="http://www.baylor.edu/news"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">www.baylor.edu/news</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> | Twitter: @BaylorUMedia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing">WACO, Texas (June 23, 2021) – Baylor University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack B. Rhoades, IV, has been selected as Sports Business Journal’s 2021 Athletics Director of the Year, announced tonight during
the 2021 SBJ Sports Business Awards.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“Mack is most-deserving of this national recognition as Baylor Athletics experienced many successes both inside and outside the classroom during an unprecedented year with COVID-19,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
“While we certainly celebrate the wins and championships, Mack and his team have truly embraced Baylor’s unique role in intercollegiate athletics as a Christian research university and our emphasis on intentionally preparing our student-athletes in all aspects
of their lives. His dedication and focus will have a lasting impact on generations of Baylor Bears.”<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This marks the second Athletics Director of the Year honor earned by Rhoades in as many years. He was chosen as a 2019-20 NACDA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year in March 2020. Rhoades was also one of five finalists for the
2020 SBJ Athletics Director of the Year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The SBJ Athletics Director of the Year award is given annually to a college or university athletics director who demonstrates excellence on and off the field, innovation, leadership locally and nationally, and vision. Rhoades was selected
from a field of five finalists, including Alabama’s Greg Byrne, Pitt’s Heather Lyke, Notre Dame’s Jack Swarbrick and Virginia’s Carla Williams.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Rhoades completed his fifth year leading Baylor’s department of intercollegiate athletics in 2020-21, culminating in two national championships and six Big 12 Conference titles. The Bears have won six national championships across three
sports and 21 Big 12 championships across nine sports during his tenure. Eight of Baylor’s 19 sport programs have earned No. 1 national rankings under Rhoades’ leadership.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Baylor Athletics’ success is guided by Rhoades’ vision of “Preparing Champions for Life,” which is built on four pillars of academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth. Below are 2020-21 highlights
for each of the four pillars:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Academic Achievement<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1">94% Graduation Success Rate – highest in Baylor history<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1">3.35 All Athletics Cumulative GPA – highest on record<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1">49% of Student-Athletes achieved Personal Best GPAs<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1">14 Teams Achieved All-Time High GPAs<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1">316 Dean’s List honors earned by Student-Athletes<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1">117 Student-Athletes Graduated<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Character Formation<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">104 Student-Athletes participated in Leadership Retreat, Leadership Institute & Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) with all sports represented.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">1,174 Community Engagement hours<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">120 Character Formation programs<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">36 Career Development workshops & events<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">24 Student-Athletes completed internships and job shadows.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Spiritual Growth<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo3">30 Student-Athletes participated in iDisciple Program – a peer-to-peer spiritual leadership bootcamp.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo3">19 Student-Athletes served on mission trip in Guatemala.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo3">Average of 47 Student-Athlete attendance at BUnfiltered Events – a monthly gathering to build community.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Athletics Success<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l7 level1 lfo4">Conference Titles<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l7 level2 lfo4">Six Big 12 Championships match the most since 2015 and tied the third-most in school history.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l7 level2 lfo4">Men’s Basketball won the Big 12 title for the first time and claimed Baylor’s first men’s basketball conference championship in 71 years.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l7 level2 lfo4">Women’s Basketball swept Big 12 regular season and tournament championships, extending the streak to seven consecutive and 20 of 21 Big 12 trophies won by Baylor since 2011.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l7 level2 lfo4">Men’s and Women’s Basketball won outright Big 12 Conference titles, becoming the first school to do so since the Big 12’s inaugural season in 1997.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l7 level2 lfo4">Men’s Tennis won Big 12 regular season and tournament championships for first time since 2014.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l7 level2 lfo4">Men’s Golf won Big 12 Match Play Championship for second time in event’s three-year history.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
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<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5">National Titles<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l2 level2 lfo5">Men’s Basketball won the National Championship for the first time in school history.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l2 level2 lfo5">Baylor became the second team from Texas to win a men’s basketball national title, following the 1966 Glory Road Texas Western team.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l2 level2 lfo5">Acrobatics & Tumbling won its sixth-consecutive NCATA National Championship.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l2 level2 lfo5">Three Track & Field Individual National Champions – Aaliyah Miller (800m), Ackera Nugent (60mh) and KC Lightfoot (Pole Vault).<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
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<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l6 level1 lfo6">Four No. 1-Ranked Teams<o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l6 level2 lfo6">Men’s Basketball was ranked No. 1 for the third time in the last five seasons, joining Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas as the only schools to accomplish the feat.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l6 level2 lfo6">Men’s Tennis reached No. 1 for the first time since 2005 after winning the Big 12 regular season and tournament championships.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l6 level2 lfo6">Women’s Golf reached No. 1 for the first time in program history after winning its first five tournaments of the season.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l6 level2 lfo6">Acrobatics & Tumbling finished No. 1 for the sixth-consecutive season.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l6 level2 lfo6">Eight Baylor teams have earned No. 1 national rankings since 2017 – Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Volleyball, Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf, Men’s Tennis, Equestrian and Acrobatics & Tumbling.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
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<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo7">A school-record 10 programs earned top-10 national rankings.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Men’s Basketball - 1<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Women’s Golf - 1<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Men’s Tennis - 1<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Acrobatics & Tumbling - 1<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Volleyball - 2<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Women’s Basketball - 4<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Men’s Golf - 6<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Equestrian - 7<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Women’s Tennis - 8<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-list:l4 level2 lfo8">Women’s Track & Field - 9<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY</b><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 19,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international
reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco,
Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#385623">David Kaye</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#385623">
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt">| Assistant AD for Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">C: 254-709-5147<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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