OKLAHOMA CITY – For the first time since the award was started by the league in 2008-09, Mid-America Christian University Athletic Director Marcus Moeller was selected by his peers as the Sooner Athletic Conference AD of the Year for 2022-23.
Voted upon by the Athletic Directors of the SAC's 12 full-time institutions, Moeller is the first MACU AD to receive the distinguished honor.
"I certainly believe our athletic department should be named SAC athletic department of the year," said Moeller. "I'm so impressed by everything our coaches and staff have accomplished. I wish there was a way for this to be MACU's award because the student-athletes, coaches, staff and administration all do an amazing job. I hope our MACU family takes an immense amount of pride in this award because it is a reflection of the total campus buy-in and they deserve 100-percent of the credit."
Serving as MACU's Athletic Director since 2015, Moeller has helped lead the Evangels to new heights under his leadership. On-top of the MACU men's basketball program winning the first ever National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship at the institution in 2016, the Evangels have also won five SAC regular season championships in that time frame, the most recent being the MACU men's soccer program winning its second straight regular season and fourth SAC Tournament title in the fall.
"Marcus is not only an outstanding Athletic Director but also an exceptional leader on our campus," stated MACU President Phil Greenwald. "His Christ-centered, humble and intentional approach ensures that MACU student-athletes and coaches are constantly focused on spiritual, academic and athletic growth."
On top of the NAIA Championship in 2016, the MACU Athletics programs as a whole have won five National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championships with the baseball program collecting the NCCAA World Series title in walk-off fashion in May.
Over the course of the year, Mid-America Christian was the host of multiple SAC and NAIA Tournament events, including the SAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, the SAC Men's Soccer Tournament Championship, SAC Women's Soccer and Volleyball Quarterfinal matches and the program's first ever NAIA Men's Soccer Tournament Opening Round.
Aside from MACU Athletics' on-field success, the Evangels have also been stellar academically under Moeller's leadership. Of MACU's seven varsity programs, six of which will be garnering NAIA Scholar Team honors (3.0 team GPA) and three garnered NCCAA Scholar Team accolades (3.4 team GPA) while the Evangels also amassed 71 NCCAA Scholar-Athletes (3.4 GPA) and 50 NAIA Scholar-Athletes (3.5 GPA).
Overall, Moeller has not only been a key contributor to not just the SAC, but also the NAIA and NCCAA as well. Moeller serves as the SAC's Athletic Director Liaison for men's and women's soccer as well as serves on the Oversight Committee for each sport, is the Chair of the NAIA's Women's Basketball National Tournament Committee and also serves as the NCCAA Central Region Coordinator.
On the whole, Moeller has been at Mid-America Christian since 2011, serving as the Assistant Coach for the Women's Basketball team for two seasons before being elevated to Head Coach prior to the 2013-14 season. In 2015, Moeller moved into his current Athletic Director role within the institution.
