CLEVELAND, Ohio – University of Portland Vice President for Athletics Scott Leykam has been recognized as a National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Cushman & Wakefield Athletic Director of the Year (ADOY). A total of 28 Athletic Directors were selected from a pool of candidates that spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges). Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 58th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla., at the beginning of the Association-Wide Featured Session on Tuesday, June 13, starting at 4 p.m.

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. Leykam was one of four Division I-AAA members to be selected.

Sports Success
Leykam is in his 11th year on The Bluff and the 2022-23 season has been a banner year for University of Portland athletics. The Pilots have had representation at four NCAA Championship events with both men's and women's soccer qualifying for the first time since 2009. The men advanced to the Elite Eight, while the women reached the second round. Women's basketball won the West Coast Conference Tournament title and participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 26 years. Laura Pellicoro also earned All-America honors individually at the 2022 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships and qualified for nationals at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Portland finished the fall 48th in the NCAA Division I LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings, which was No. 1 nationally among teams without football (I-AAA), second in the WCC and in the top 10 of mid-major programs.

The Pilots are off to a great start in spring sports with baseball taking a road series from nationally ranked Texas A&M and sitting alone atop the WCC standings with a 6-0 league record. Women's tennis also cracked the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings for just the third time in program history, while numerous track student-athletes have etched their names in the Portland record books.

Academic Excellence
As his been the case throughout Leykam's tenure, Portland Athletics has achieved remarkable academic success this year. The Athletic Department cumulative grade-point average for the fall semester was 3.47 – the highest in program history – while 43 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0. More than 52 percent of student-athletes earned Dean's List recognition (3.50 or higher) and 83 percent carry a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA. Portland also recorded a 93 percent graduation success rate according to the latest NCAA data.

Facilities Upgrades
Construction continues on the 35-acre Franz Campus, located on the banks of the Willamette River. The most recent addition was a state-of-the-art boat house and dock that came online this spring, while a new track and field facility is expected to begin construction next year. The Chiles Center also saw significant capital upgrades this year with new seating platforms and a new sound system this year.

NCAA Impact
Leykam has played a significant role in the collegiate athletics landscape beyond The Bluff. He spearheaded the effort to bring the 2030 Division I NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four to the City of Portland along with local partners in the Portland Trail Blazers/Rose Quarter, Sport Oregon and Travel Portland.

He is the chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee for the 2022-23 academic year and has been a committee member since 2019. Leykam was the President for the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) during the 2019-20 season, after serving as Second Vice President in 2018-19 and as an executive committee member in 2017-18. In the past, he served a six-year term as Chair of the West Coast Conference Basketball Cabinet and a four-year term on the NCAA Championships & Sports Management Cabinet.

Leykam was awarded the 2021 Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Builders' Award, which is presented to an individual who, for a minimum of five years as an active Director of Athletics, has enhanced the association, their institution, and the profession as a whole.
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