KANSAS — Cory Cahill, the head coach of the women's volleyball program at McPherson College, has been named the 2025-26 KCAC Coach of Character, the conference office announced Friday. All KCAC Champions of Character Awards are presented by IMA Financial Group.
Several pillars of Coach Cahill's coaching philosophy encourage character traits that are embodied by the Champions of Character Program.
- Cahill preaches the "Mac 8", the eight core values at the center of the McPherson volleyball program. Those values are Caring, Relentlessness, Resilience, Selflessness, Focus, Discipline, Positivity, and Gratitude.
- Another pillar of his program is Character > Process > Result. Instead of just trusting the process of training for athletic competition, Coach Cahill and his staff believe that being a person of high character is one of the most important parts of the equation of achieving a positive result. High character leads to completing every part of the process, whether that is applying to on-the-court or off-the-court tasks, which will lead to a positive result.
- Cahill and his staff also emphasize the idea of Person > Player, meaning that the type of person you are is much more important than the type of player you are or the level of skill you bring to the court.
"I am truly honored and humbled to receive this distinguished recognition from the KCAC," Cahill said of being named the Coach of Character. "I would not be where I am today without the unwavering support of my incredible wife, our Athletic Director Josh Daume, and President Schneider. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey and my growth as the head coach of McPherson College Volleyball. I'm grateful to be part of such an outstanding community. It's a great day to be a Bulldog!"
Keeping these three ideas at the core of his team led to a great deal of success in 2025-26. The Bulldogs went 13-0 in KCAC play in the regular season, taking home the regular-season conference title. That success in conference play was part of a 34-3 overall record, which included a run to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship quarterfinals.
His emphasis on character also led to a team that completed nearly 300 community service hours in the 2025-26 academic year.
"I’m beyond proud of Coach Cahill and the way he continues to lead our volleyball program," Josh Daume, Director of Athletics at McPherson College, remarked. "He’s done a tremendous job instilling in his student-athletes the importance of being great people first and foremost and leading them in a way that makes McPherson College very proud. Cory is very intentional when it comes to leading a high character team and has an outstanding group of student-athletes who are a direct reflection of their head coach. Much of their success can be attributed to the way they carry themselves on and off the court."
“We’re extremely proud of Cory’s commitment to leading a first-class program on and off the court," Dr. Michael Schneider, President of McPherson College, stated. "He has gone above and beyond in serving the mission of McPherson College, and his team consistently represents us well, both in the local community and on the national stage. This recognition is well-deserved!”
About IMA Financial Group
IMA Financial Group is the 10th largest independently owned retail insurance broker in the U.S., offering risk management and insurance services. Founded in 1974, IMA has nearly 650 employees in offices throughout the central U.S.
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