CHICAGO, Ill. — Chicago State University Athletics has announced the addition of Reilly McElmeel as Compliance Coordinator.
McElmeel joins Chicago State with experience in NCAA compliance, student-athlete eligibility, academic advising and athletic administration at the NCAA Division I and Division III levels.
Prior to joining Chicago State, McElmeel served as an Academic Advisor at Concordia University Chicago, where he worked with approximately 200 students while assisting with student-athlete eligibility, academic progress and retention. In the role, he worked closely with the athletics department and campus offices, including the Registrar, Dean of Students, Residence Life and Admissions.
Before his time at Concordia Chicago, McElmeel served as an NCAA Compliance Coordinator at Western Kentucky University from January 2024 through September 2025. At WKU, he assisted with the day-to-day operations of the compliance office and served as the primary compliance liaison for football, baseball, soccer and men's and women's golf.
His responsibilities included conducting initial eligibility evaluations for freshmen, transfers and international student-athletes; reviewing recruiting documentation; filing legislative relief waivers; providing NCAA rules education to coaches and student-athletes; and monitoring the onboarding process for incoming student-athletes.
McElmeel also worked closely with Admissions, the Registrar and Transfer Center and assisted in implementing ARMS software into the compliance office's daily operations. During a leadership transition, he assumed the duties of Interim Acting Director of Compliance while Western Kentucky conducted its search for a replacement.
His previous compliance experience also includes serving as an Athletic Compliance Intern at Northern Illinois University and as an NCAA Compliance Assistant at North Central College. At NIU, McElmeel assisted with official and unofficial visits, prospective student-athlete check-ins, participation records and NCAA educational materials.
While at North Central, McElmeel assisted with student-athlete statements, eligibility reports, class schedules and day-to-day athletic department operations. He also gained coaching and student-athlete development experience as the program's women's bowling graduate assistant before serving as interim head coach.
McElmeel earned his Master of Higher Education Leadership from North Central College and his Bachelor of Sports Management from Bethel University. While at Bethel, he was a member and team captain of the baseball program.
In his role at Chicago State, McElmeel will support the department's NCAA compliance operations, including student-athlete eligibility, recruiting, rules education, monitoring and interpretation of NCAA and conference regulations while serving as a resource for coaches, staff and student-athletes.
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