KANSAS CITY, Mo. – MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy appointed Newman University’s Associate Athletic Director Zach Brake as the new chair of the Association’s Basketball Tournament Committee.
 
A MIAA Basketball Tournament Committee member since 2022, Brake becomes the fourth representative to take over as the basketball committee chair since the creation of the committee in 2008. He replaces Fort Hays State’s former Assistant Athletic Director Matt Cook, who served as the committee chair for the past four championships.
 
In his new appointment, Brake will oversee the direction of tournament operations for the Association’s men’s and women’s basketball championships. He will be in direct consultation with Commissioner Racy and MIAA staff for the preparation and execution of all tournament duties and tasks.
 
“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving on the MIAA Basketball Tournament Committee as committee chair,” said Brake. “I’d like to thank Commissioner Racy and the MIAA office for their continuous support, hard work, and trust in this committee. We look forward to hosting the premiere small-college basketball postseason event once again this March.”
 
“A special thank you to Matt Cook for his many years of dedication and service to this committee, most recently as committee chair,” Brake added. “His commitment inspires the future success of the event.”
 
Hosted at the historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, the MIAA men’s and women’s basketball championships are two of the biggest and most-attended conference championships in NCAA Division II.
 
Brake first joined Newman’s athletic department as a graduate assistant in the fall of 2020 and took over the communications role after earning his MBA in data analytics from the university in 2021. He is entering fourth year as Newman’s Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Communications.
 
Brake is responsible for the execution of athletic sponsorships and branding alignment. He also manages all athletic publications, both print and digital, throughout the Jets’ sports seasons, and serves on the MIAA Technology Task Force.