Pavan Earns Fourth Mid-South Conference Athletic Director of the Year Honor

LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland University Vice President of Athletics Ron Pavan has been named the 2025-26 Mid-South Conference Athletic Director of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday.

The honor marks the fourth time Pavan has received the award after previously earning the distinction in 2017-18, 2019-20 and 2022-23. The award is voted on by the conference's athletics directors and recognizes outstanding leadership and commitment to advancing intercollegiate athletics within the Mid-South Conference.

"I am so humbled and honored to be voted by the other Mid-South Conference athletics directors for this award," Pavan said. "We have the best conference in the NAIA and all of the athletics directors work hard for the betterment of the conference. I am so blessed to work at Cumberland University with our great coaches, athletic staff and our President, Dr. Paul Stumb."

Under Pavan's leadership, Cumberland continued its tradition of excellence during the 2025-26 academic year. The Phoenix captured four Mid-South Conference regular-season championships and two MSC Tournament titles while finishing third in the Mid-South Conference Presidents' Cup standings. Cumberland also placed 49th nationally in the NAIA LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, marking another successful year across the department's 30 varsity sports.

Pavan's leadership extends well beyond Cumberland Athletics. In addition to serving as Vice President of Athletics, he also serves as the University's Vice President for Facilities and Infrastructure, overseeing the day-to-day operations of numerous campus departments. During the 2025-26 academic year, Pavan also served as chair of the Mid-South Conference Administrative Council.

"CU would not be the school that it is today without the exemplary leadership of our VP/AD Ron Pavan," Cumberland University President Dr. Paul Stumb said. "It is not merely his untiring work ethic and commitment to our mission and the students we serve, but also his consistent and unwavering character that sets Ron apart and makes him such a valuable role model for so many others both within and external to the CU community."

Pavan enters his 19th year leading Cumberland Athletics in 2026-27 and his 42nd year in collegiate athletics. During his tenure, the Phoenix have experienced unprecedented growth, adding 12 varsity sports while expanding administrative leadership and enhancing athletic facilities across campus.

Since arriving at Cumberland, Pavan has guided the Phoenix to 59 Mid-South Conference regular-season and tournament championships, 147 individual conference champions, two team national championships and 21 individual national titles. His leadership has also fostered success in the classroom, with Cumberland student-athletes posting a departmental grade-point average above 3.0 for eight consecutive years while consistently earning NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution recognition.

Earlier this summer, Pavan was also recognized on the national stage after being named one of four NAIA recipients of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Athletics Director of the Year Award. Pavan will also be inducted into his high school's Hall of Fame in September.

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