WICHITA, Kan. – Friends University VP of Athletics & Strategic Expansion Dr. Rob Ramseyer has been selected as the 2025-26 KCAC Athletic Director of the Year, the conference office announced today (June 19). This is the second honor for Ramseyer, as he was also named the league's top AD in 2020.
"Dr. Ramseyer has built an athletic program that reflects excellence both on and off the field and court," said Dr. Amy Bragg Carey, Friends University President. "Under his leadership, Friends University has experienced sustained competitive success while also strengthening the overall student athlete experience as he prioritizes holistic development of our students, including the spiritual dynamic. Dr. Ramseyer is an exceptional leader and well deserving of this recognition."
This latest award comes after Ramseyer oversaw perhaps the greatest athletic year in Friends history. The Falcons secured the KCAC Commissioner's Cup with a cup record 196 points and finished a school-record 22nd in the NAIA Learfield Directors' Cup standings.
The Falcons captured five KCAC regular season conference championships (Football, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field, Men's Wrestling, Men's Golf) this past season, with the Men's Golf Falcons posting a runner-up finish at the NAIA National Championship for the best national showing in Friends history.
The 2025-26 success wasn't limited to the playing fields, with Ramseyer fostering a department wide vision that resulted in the highest student-athlete program evaluations on record and one of the best cumulative GPA performances in the last 10 years.
"I'm thankful for this honor and truly believe this is an athletic department award," said Dr. Ramseyer. "The coaches, student-athletes, administrators, faculty, and staff at Friends University do excellent work, and they care about the mission and purpose of this place. My job is to support good people who do their jobs well and understand why we do them. That's what this award reflects, and I'm grateful to be part of it."
Ramseyer has also facilitated Friends University being a haven for big events, highlighted by hosting the KSHSAA State Basketball Tournament this past year and recently being selected as a final site host in 2028.
Along with former men's golf head coach Dustin Galyon, Ramseyer continues to grow and produce the Impact Coaching Project, an initiative that was launched in the winter of 2023 and focuses on training coaches to develop the whole person.
In addition to this second KCAC AD of the Year honor, Ramseyer has also been recognized in the Wichita Business Journal's inaugural "Leaders in Major Companies" section in 2025 and was named a Cushman & Wakefield NACDA Athletic Director of the Year in 2023.
Click HERE for the official KCAC release
