Sioux Center Iowa — Mike Byker of Dordt College has been selected as the 2016-17 Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference Sports Information Director of the Year.
The award is voted on by the league’s sports information directors. He will be honored at the 2017 GPAC Football Media Day on Thursday, August 3 in Sioux City, Nebraska, at the Marina Inn in South Sioux City, Nebraska.
Byker has been at Dordt College since 2001 and also serves as Sports Director for the Dordt College radio station. Known as the “Voice of the Defenders”, Byker promotes the 18 varsity sports at Dordt College. He maintains the Dordt College athletic website as well as coordinating broadcasts and all of the Defenders social media platforms. Byker was the Sports Director at KIWA AM and FM Radio in Sheldon prior to taking his current position at Dordt.
Byker is an active member of Co-SIDA and has worked on-site assisting the NAIA Volleyball and Women’s Division II Basketball Championship Tournaments in Sioux City, Iowa, as a media coordinator and play-by-play voice on the NAIA Network.
Dordt College Athletic Director Glenn Bouma said, “I am very excited for Mike to win this award. “He goes above and beyond working many hours to promote our student-athletes.” “Defender Nation is very grateful to Mike for his work both on the air and off as he is a huge asset for Dordt College and very deserving of this honor from the GPAC.”
GPAC Commissioner Corey Westra said, “Mike is very deserving of this award in the GPAC and has great passion for his work at Dordt College. “The GPAC is successful because of hardworking SID’s like Mike, and his colleagues around the league. He and the other SID’s are critical to the promotion and success of the league day in and day out.”
This is the third year of the GPAC Sports Information Director of the Year award. Byker is a 1992 graduate of Dordt College with a BA in Radio/TV Communication. He and his wife Maria, live in Orange City and have three children. Klay, Sam, and Emma.
