University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Janet R. Cone Named 2024-25 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
03.17.2025 | General, Athletics News
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced the 28 winners of the NACDA AD of the Year Award on Monday (March 17), and UNC Asheville's Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone has been named a winner.
"I am immensely grateful to NACDA for this honor and am indebted to my staff, coaches, and student-athletes who daily 'Dream Bigger and Achieve More,'" stated Cone. "A Big Bulldog thank you to Chancellor van Noort, my colleagues at UNC Ashville, and the many friends and alumni that support us daily. I am honored to represent UNC Asheville in receiving this award."
In 2023, UNC Asheville developed and launched a five-year strategic plan with the Huron Group. Under the leadership of Athletics Director Cone, the Bulldogs completed nearly all the measurable goals within 18 months, including their first-ever top-three finish in the Big South Conference Sasser Cup standings. They did all this while earning a 992 Academic Progress Rate and a 3.23 Departmental GPA. UNC Asheville also received the Big South Conference's Inaugural Champions of Unity Award for its work in equity and belonging.
Cone's leadership throughout the years has helped UNC Asheville become a premier NCAA Division I program among mid-major universities. This year alone, Cone helped navigate the athletic department's perseverance amidst Helene's disruption in Western North Carolina. Cone oversaw the relocation of all 16 athletic programs so that teams could continue competing and training while the university and the city of Asheville began recovering from the natural disaster. All student-athletes were relocated, and all of the teams that were active in their seasons were able to continue competing within 10 days of relocating.
Additionally, Janet Cone served as the President of the DI-AAA ADA during the 2023-2024 school year. In partnership with Tom Michael, President of the FCS ADA, the Pictor Group, and numerous other stakeholders, Cone developed and presented the Enhanced Educational Model for Division I Athletics. In this role, Janet Cone was invited to address the Knight Commission and has presented at many national meetings, conference office meetings, and meetings of stakeholders throughout the year.
Cone has served as Asheville's Director of Athletics since 2004 and is the longest-tenured athletic director in the Big South Conference. Over her twenty years at the helm of UNC Asheville, Cone has been a tireless leader and has undertaken multiple capital and construction projects. Most recently, she engaged a new funding stream, which led to a total reconstruction of the Karl Straus Outdoor Track, which had its grand opening in the fall of 2023 and saw its first home track meet in 24 years this past April. In July, Cone announced the plans to build an outdoor tennis facility on campus as one of the subsequent phases of the ALL IN Comprehensive Campaign.
"On behalf of the entire UNC Asheville community, I am delighted to congratulate Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone for her exceptional work that has earned this national recognition," said UNC Asheville Chancellor Dr. Kimberly van Noort. "Her leadership during the unprecedented natural disaster this past fall was crucial in helping our athletic department remain strong and continue to thrive. She has cultivated an outstanding athletic program where student-athletes excel both on the field and in the classroom. This is a truly well-deserved achievement!"
Cone is one of four Athletic Directors to earn the ADOY honor in the Division I-AAA category. The ADOY Award program is in its 27th year and has recognized 605 athletics directors to date. For the official NACDA release, click HERE.