College Sports Information Directors of America

An award-winning former sports information director at Concordia University is now the sports information coordinator at Citrus College.

Nick Askew, 27, earned a bachelor's degree in Christian education from Biola University and has five years of experience in sports information.

He will also be writing all the press releases and coordinating all the media and media information, such as media guides and programs, for the college sporting events.

"I'll be coordinating all the game stats," Askew said. "I'll also be redoing the website."

Changes on the website are already in progress.

Askew's plan is to transform the athletics site into a fully functioning sports site with stats, scores and stories on a daily basis.

"I think the hiring is a phenomenal addition," said Dr. Ken Guttman, head coach of the women's basketball team. "At least with women's basketball, the website has been a major marketing tool."

Guttman said that the women's basketball team website that he personally maintains has helped his teams' marketing across the nation.

"I think it will help all the teams," he said.

Askew, who played Little League baseball and soccer, said he has loved sports his whole life.

"I covered stats for my college sports information office," Askew said. "Around my sophomore or junior year, I began to write for the sports page in Chimes, the college paper."

Askew moved his way up on the newspaper staff ladder and was named sports editor his senior year.

Askew, who has been married for four years, has three children all under the age of three.

"The biggest plus in taking this job is that it's only a 40-hour-a-week job, and I will have a lot of time to stay home with my family," Askew said. "At Concordia I was working upwards from 60 to 70 hours a week as needed."

Jody Wise, dean of athletics and physical education, also expressed the importance of a sports information coordinator and an athletics website.

"Everywhere I've ever been I've had one and I've seen the good it can do," Wise said. "Athletics always gets a lot of hits on the website and we get calls now because our website isn't very good.

"Students today are going online to find their information, and a good website will be one big job," she said.

Wise also said she appreciates the fact that Askew is experienced in the stat crew program that junior colleges use to keep stats.

Askew likes to play fantasy football and poker online for fun. He is also a big Angels and Chargers fan. In fact, Askew worked was an usher at Angel Stadium during the summer of his junior year.

Askew won several awards for media guide designs at Concordia. He was ranked in the top five in design by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

In 2004, the Concordia website was ranked in the top 10 in the NAIA.

"When I was at Concordia, we increased the size of the website from 75 pages total to about close to 1,500 pages," Askew said.