Georgia Gwinnett College Associate Vice President for Athletics Dr. Darin S. Wilson was honored as the 2018-19 Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year for NAIA institutions by the National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics during the national convention in Orlando on Tuesday, June 11.

Wilson has led the GGC Office of Athletics since 2011, quickly establishing one of the premiere athletic programs in intercollegiate athletics. The college has programs in men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, baseball and softball.

Those programs have captured 11 national championships, achieved over 1,000 victories and won more than 77 percent of their games during the past seven seasons of existence.

In 2018, the Grizzlies advanced to the final site in all six NAIA national championship tournaments, and won men's and women's tennis national titles. Currently, each of GGC's teams are ranked in the NAIA Top 25 preseason or postseason polls.

"I'm honored to be recognized nationally with this award," says Wilson, "It is a testament to the outstanding coaches and staff we have at GGC. They are some of the best in the business and I'm fortunate to get to work with them each and every day."

Wilson's devotion to the student-athlete experience has instilled the program's five core values of service, responsibility, leadership, sportsmanship and the pursuit of excellence.

GGC is a past recipient of the NAIA Champions of Character team award. Several student-athletes have been recognized as All-Americans, Academic All-Americans and NAIA Scholar-Athletes, along with being named to the college's President's List and Director of Athletics' Honor Roll for their academic achievements.

Wilson oversaw the design and construction of Georgia Gwinnett College's state-of-the-art Grizzly Athletics Complex, a $15 million facility featuring baseball, softball, soccer and tennis complexes. There's also a 25,000-square-foot athletics building with staff offices, team locker rooms, a weight room, training areas, hospitality suites and academic resource space.

These facilities have helped GGC attract NAIA and Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) postseason championship events in men's soccer, women's soccer, men's tennis, softball, and baseball to Lawrenceville.

Wilson currently serves on the NAIA's National Administrative Council, as well as on the ADA Board of Directors. Additionally, he is on A.I.I.'s executive committee.

Wilson was named the Under Armour NAIA AD of the Year for the Southeast Region in 2014-15 at GGC and 2009-10 while athletic director at Union College (Ky.).

The NACDA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year award highlights the efforts of athletics directors for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.

This is the 11th year the organization has sponsored the award, honoring more than 248 different athletic directors for their dedication and service.