Official NACDA Release

TACOMA, Wash. - The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) released its 2019-2020 Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Awards on Tuesday with Pacific Lutheran University Athletic Director Laurie Turner one of four recognized from NCAA Division III.

Turner is one of four ADs from the Division III ranks to be recognized and one of 28 ADs from around the nation representing colleges and university's from Division I Football Bowl Subdivision all the way down to the junior and community college ranks. Turner is honored along with fellow D3 colleagues Dana Harmon (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), James Miller (North Central College), and Craig Poisson (Springfield College). 

"Laurie's tenure has seen a significant change in overall culture of athletics on campus. From a narrow view of athletes as peripheral to the academic pursuits of the University to a central role that defines student-athletes as integral to well-rounded academic offerings. Laurie has championed this definition, and has worked tirelessly to build a department on this foundational understanding of the role of athletic pursuits in an academic setting," said PLU Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs Jan Lewis. 

Laurie Turner has served as the athletic director at Pacific Lutheran since the 2005-2006 academic year. Under her direction, the Lutes have captured 37 Northwest Conference titles in 11 different sports while the softball team hoisted an NCAA Division III national championship in 2012. Turner has cultivated an atmosphere of success both on and off the field of competition with the department winning five conference titles in 2018-2019, volunteering 3,200 hours in the community, and all 19-sport programs maintaining a grade point average above a 3.0.

Prior to Pacific Lutheran, Turner was the senior associate athletic director at the University of California San Diego from 2001-2005. Before UCSD, Turner had stints as the senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator at the University of Toledo and was the director of academic athletic services and student development at the University of Idaho. Turner began her career in athletic administration at Eastern Oregon State College (now Eastern Oregon University) as the athletic director.

A recognized name nationally among athletic administrators, Turner served on the board of directors for the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators from 2002-2006.

Turner got her start as a women's basketball coach, beginning at her alma mater Washington State University before serving as head coach at both Eastern Oregon and Idaho. Turner also served as the head volleyball coach and an assistant for the men's track & field squad at Eastern Oregon.

Turner received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Washington State University. She was a four year student-athlete in basketball at WSU, earning Second Team All-Northwest Basketball League accolades and National Scouting Association AIAW Region IX All-American honors as a senior and was inducted into the Washington State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five consecutive years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally, each AD's institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control during the tenure of the current athletics director.