March 7, 2022
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As announced HERE, Hilton Head Christian Academy is pleased to announce that Coach Jason Grunkemeyer has been named HHCA's new Athletic Director, effective June 1, 2022.
With extensive collegiate and high school experience, including 18 seasons in Division I collegiate athletics, Grunkemeyer is highly and uniquely qualified to lead HHCA's outstanding athletic program.
Grunkemeyer joined HHCA in August 2021 as Director of Student Athlete and Coach Development and quickly acclimated to the HHCA culture, building meaningful relationships and working closely with the athletics staff and with HHCA students and families. He served as Varsity Boys Head Basketball Coach for the 2021-2022 season.
In his new role as Athletic Director, he will continue to mentor student-athletes and coaches, while working closely with HHCA's spiritual life, guidance, and marketing teams to cultivate a culture of excellence.
“The opportunity to lead HHCA's athletics program is both humbling and exciting. I look forward to building on the solid foundation already in place and further cultivating the excellence for which the HHCA Eagles are known. I believe in the Christ-centered culture that HHCA embodies and I am inspired by the opportunity to take this program to a new level of excellence." - Coach Grunkemeyer
Before joining the HHCA team in 2021, Grunkemeyer served as associate head men’s basketball coach at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for eight seasons. During his time at Ball State, the Cardinals won three Mid-American Conference West Division championships, including back-to-back 21-win seasons in 2016 and 2017. His primary duties within the program included recruitment and development of student-athletes, game planning, opponent scouting, and serving as the program’s academic liaison and camp director. In the summer of 2020, he was voted by his peers in the league as the top assistant coach in the MAC in a poll conducted by Stadium Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman.
Prior to his time at Ball State, Grunkemeyer served as an assistant coach for five seasons each at Miami (Ohio) University and Saint Louis University. In addition to leading at the collegiate level, Grunkemeyer served as the athletic director at Talawanda High School in Oxford, Ohio, during the 2012-13 school year.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Grunkemeyer graduated from Miami (Ohio) University in 2001. He played four years of basketball for the Red Hawks, which included a run to the NCAA's “Sweet 16” Tournament during his sophomore season. During his senior year, he was named captain and earned honorable mention all-conference honors as well as being named to the MAC All-Tournament team.
Grunkemeyer’s wife Angie is a South Carolina native and former college softball player at Presbyterian College. The couple has three children – Josh, Nate, and Evelyn – who all attend HHCA.
HHCA is grateful for the impact Grunkemeyer has had in his first year and we are excited to see him soar in his new role as Athletic Director.