Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association

ATLANTA - Oregon State University's Marianne Vydra has been named the recipient of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) Administrator of the Year Award for her excellence in athletic administration. This award is presented annually to an administrator, athletic director, associate or assistant athletic director or senior woman administrator who has excelled at encouraging the growth and quality of women's basketball programs and women's athletic programs overall. The candidate must also have served as a professional role model for student-athletes.

"Marianne has gone above and beyond to help promote the game of women's basketball," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "On behalf of the WBCA, I am delighted to present this award to someone so deserving of such distinction."

Vydra has served as the Senior Women's Administrator at Oregon State University since 1998 and is heavily involved in the advancement of women's athletics both on an institutional level and on the national level. Aside from overseeing several sports programs, Vydra also helps to direct the "Everyday Champions" Program designed to support leadership and promote the well-rounded student-athlete. She played a major role in Oregon State's celebration of the 35th anniversary of Title IX this past fall where several female student-athletes were honored with their varsity letters for the first time.

Vydra has served on a number of Pac-10 and NCAA committees and currently sits on the Pac-10 Women's Basketball Tournament Committee. In 2000, she was named Pac-10 Administrator of the Year for gymnastics.

Vydra, a native of Springfield, Mo., earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Missouri State and a master's degree in education from the University of Maine. While in Orono, she worked as a graduate assistant in Academic Services for Student-Athletes.

Vydra will be formally presented her award at the WBCA Awards Luncheon presented by State Farm and Jostens on Tuesday, April 8, at Noon (ET) in the Marriott Waterside's Grand Ballroom in Tampa Bay, Fla. The luncheon is part of the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the 2008 NCAA® Women's Final Four®.

Past recipients of the WBCA Administrator of the Year Award include: Carol Sprague, University of Pittsburgh (2007); Jane Meyer, University of Iowa (2006), Debbie Richardson, Campbell University (2005); Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, University of Denver (2004); Cary Groth, Northern Illinois University (2003); Marita Hynes, University of Oklahoma (2002); Jane Meier, Northern Kentucky (2001); Bernadette McGlade, ACC (2000); Don DiJulia, St. Joseph's (Pa.) University (1999); Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto, DePaul University (1998); Lynn Dorn, North Dakota State University (1997); Dr. Mary Jo Wynn, Southwest Missouri State University (1996); Ellen Perry, Pennsylvania State University (1995); Lynn Barry, USA Basketball (1994); the late Jeannine McHaney, Texas Tech University (1993); Dr. Christine Grant, University of Iowa (1992); Dr. James Jarrett, Old Dominion University (1991); Dr. Judith Holland, UCLA (1990); Dr. Donna Lopiano, University of Texas (1989); Dr. Joyce Wong, University of Rochester (1988); Joan Cronan, University of Tennessee (1987); Nora Lynn Finch, North Carolina State University (1987); Dr. Charlotte West, Southern Illinois University (1987).

About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.