Christian led the Golden Flashes to a school record 25 regular season wins and the overall MAC and East Division Titles as well as the number one seed in the MAC Tournament. He is the only coach in league history to win 20 games his first six seasons, and also led KSU to the first ever regular season ranking in school history this year, marking the first ranking by a MAC school since 2001.

"This is a team award and a true testament to the amount of work and dedication both our players and coaching staff have put into the program, said Christian. 'We've had a great season so far, but there is still work left to do.  Our goal remains the same, to win the MAC Tournament and earn a NCAA berth."

Now in his sixth season, Christian staked his claim as the winningest coach in league history with a .703 (135-57) winning percentage while ranking second in MAC games at .731 (76-28).  The Golden Flashes achieved the two longest winning streaks by a MAC team this season posting streaks of seven and six straight victories.   

This is the second Coach of the Year honor for Christian this season. Christian was also named Coach of the Year by MAC Report Online last week. 

Offical press release from the Mid-American Conference contributed to this report.