Former Dillard University Athletic Director Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes Earns 2022 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Athletic Director of Year Honors

New Orleans – Former Dillard University athletic director Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes was recently named the 2022 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's (GCAC) Athletic Director of the Year, the conference office announced this morning, June 8.

It is the fifth time that she has been voted by her peers as the Athletic Director of the Year in the GCAC following previously being named in 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2020-21 and for the second straight year in 2021-22.

This season, she helped Dillard win the Thomas Howell Cup for the first time since 2016 with 25 points. DU ended up capturing conference titles this season in men's cross country, women's cross country, men's track & field, women's track & field and volleyball (regular season). Under her guidance, Dillard captured nine All-American honors - six in men's outdoor track & field (Jamaal Morris Jr. (2), Cody Branch, Joshun Noel, Christopher Watson) and one each in women's outdoor track & field (Kevell Byrd), men's indoor track & field (Jamaal Morris Jr.) and women's indoor track & field (Kevell Byrd). Dillard's athletics department captured 90 All-GCAC selections and two SSAC All-Conference choices (Kaayva Palani and Prerana Koirala) this season plus had the GCAC volleyball Player of the Year (Demari Drake), Attacker of the Year (Demari Drake), Defender of the Year (Chloe Young) and Freshman of the Year (Demari Drake). Other major individual conference awards won by Dillard athletes this season include the MVP of men's cross country (Joshun Noel), the MVP of women's cross country (Jaelynn Hoffman), a women's basketball selection to the All-Defensive Team (Jaquanna Hunter), a men's basketball selection to the All-Defensive Team (Kaleb Allison), the men's basketball Defensive Player of the Year (Kaleb Allison), the men's outdoor track & field Most Outstanding Track Performer (Joshun Noel), the men's outdoor track & field Most Outstanding Field Performer (Nobie Harris), the women's track & field Most Outstanding Track Performer (Kevell Byrd) and the women's track & field Most Outstanding Field Performer (Rachel Rowe). DU also captured three GCAC All-Tournament selections this year (Diniaa McZeal – women's basketball, Elijah Moore – men's basketball and Bianca Ihetu – volleyball). Dillard also had three GCAC Coach of the Years this year as Nile Legania was named the conference's top coach in men's cross country, women's cross country and the men's outdoor track & field. Throughout the year, Dillard dominated the weekly Player of the Week Honors and racked up 37 between volleyball (14), men's basketball (6), women's basketball (1), men's outdoor track & field (8) and women's outdoor track and field (8). The athletic department also earned a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in outdoor track & field in Benjamin Todd plus a SSAC Sportsmanship Award by its men's tennis team. DU finished the year off seeing nine student-athletes recognized as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars (Nicholas Carmouche – men's basketball, Hildevert Lafeuille – men's cross country/track & field, Benjamin Todd – men's track & field, Taylor Dewitt – women's basketball, Rayah Haynes – women's basketball, Kyra McWhorter – women's basketball, Kaylyn Turner – women's cross country/track & field / cheerleading, Jada O'Mally – volleyball and Ki'Avian Johnson – volleyball).

Dr. Barnes officially left Dillard's Athletics Department at the end of the May in a trailblazing move of being the first Black woman ever appointed to be the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Commissioner.

Starting in 2006 through the spring of 2022, Barnes served as athletic director at Dillard University where she facilitated the return of the university's athletic program following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, transformed the program into a national model of student-athlete success and community service, established new sports teams, and oversaw the founding of the university's first endowed athletic scholarship. Throughout this time, she served as the only intercollegiate female athletic director in Louisiana.

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