Four individuals and one institution will receive 2011-12 CoSIDA scholarship and grant awards from this annual program. The two postgraduate scholarships are worth $5,000 each, while the undergraduate scholarships are $2,500 apiece.
The CoSIDA internship grant (worth $10,000) provides funds for a sports information office to hire a graduate intern on a one-year basis. The 2011-12 recipient of the
Phil Langan Internship Grant is NCAA Division III institution Ursinus College (Lancaster, PA).
The
Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship will be awarded to
graduate student Andrew Lentz at the University of Tennessee.
Graduate assistant Britney Reddick of Division II Kutztown received the Langston Rogers Postgraduate Scholarship.
The two
Fred Nuesch-Dave Wohlhueter Undergraduate Scholarships are awarded to
rising senior Adam K. Moussa of the University of Memphis and
rising junior Erica LaBranche of NCAA Division II Stonehill College.
by Jeff Griesch, Nebraska Media Relations/CoSIDA Scholarship Committee
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) have announced the winners of their 2011-12 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships..
The organization will distribute a total of $25,000 to scholarship winners during the 2011-12 academic year after choosing a pair of $5,000 postgraduate scholarship recipients, two more $2,500 undergraduate scholarship winners, and one school to receive a $10,000 graduate internship grant.
The scholarships will be formally announced during CoSIDA’s upcoming annual workshop in Marco Island, Fla.
The
Fred Nuesch-Dave Wohlhueter Undergraduate Scholarships and
Phil Langan Graduate Internship Grant have been awarded since 1999, when CoSIDA expanded its scholarship program in order to foster interest in the sports information field. Annually, CoSIDA grants two postgraduate scholarships as well - the
Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship and the
Langston Rogers Postgraduate Scholarship (formerly known as the CoSIDA Scholarship). The Langston Rogers Scholarship is in its first year, and is named in honor of former Mississippi Sports Information Director and CoSIDA Hall of Famer Langston Rogers, who served as the SID at Ole Miss from 1981 until his retirement in 2010. The scholarship is presented annually to a rising minority or female student.
Since presenting the first Wylie Smith Graduate Scholarship in 1981, CoSIDA has provided more than $375,000 in grants to students working in sports information offices at member institutions and conferences.
To be eligible for either the Postgraduate or Undergraduate Scholarships, candidates must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average and express an interest in pursuing a career in sports information.
Andrew Lentz, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in sport management from Tennessee, earned the Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship ($5,000). Lentz, who earned his bachelor’s degree in sport administration from Ball State in May of 2010, spent 2010-11 as a graduate assistant in Tennessee Athletic Media Relations office under the direction of Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Bud Ford. Lentz also posted a 4.0 grade-point average as a graduate student at Tennessee. Before continuing his graduate studies at Tennessee, Lentz spent three years working as a student assistant in the Ball State Athletic Communications Office under the direction of Associate Athletic Director for Media and Alumni Relations Joe Hernandez. Lentz also spent the summer of 2007 as a Syracuse University Athletics Communications Intern working under Director Pete Moore. Lentz expanded his experience as a media relations intern for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers in both 2008 and 2010 and also served an internship with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship is named in honor of the former CoSIDA Scholarships Committee chairman and long-time Sports Information Director at Northern Arizona University.
Britney Reddick, who is working as a graduate assistant in the Kutztown Sports Information Office, claimed the Langston Rogers Postgraduate Scholarship ($5,000). Reddick, who earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from North Carolina A&T in 2010, is pursuing a master’s degree in electronic media from Kutztown University. She owns a 4.0 GPA in her graduate studies. Before spending the 2010-11 season working on Sports Information Director Rob Knox’s staff at Kutztown, Reddick worked as an intern in the North Carolina A&T Athletic Media Relations Office from January of 2009 to May of 2010 under Director Brian Holloway. Reddick has also served as an intern with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the Greensboro Sports Commission.
The Langston Rogers Postgraduate Scholarship is named in honor of former Mississippi Sports Information Director and CoSIDA Hall of Famer Langston Rogers, who served as the SID at Ole Miss from 1981 until his retirement in 2010. The scholarship is presented annually to a rising minority or female student.
CoSIDA’s Fred Nuesch-Dave Wohlhueter Undergraduate Scholarship awards ($2,500 each) were presented to Adam K. Moussa of Memphis and Erica LaBranche of Stonehill College. Moussa has posted a 3.8 cumulative GPA while studying in Memphis’ nationally accredited sports management program. He has earned spots on the Dean’s List in each of his six semesters. The Knoxville, Tenn., native has worked as a student in Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Jennifer Rodrigues’ office at Memphis since April of 2010, while simultaneously holding positions in Memphis’ Residence Life and Campus Recreation departments. Moussa is on track to graduate as a member of U of M’s centennial class in May of 2012.
LaBranche carries a 3.4 GPA as an English major with a minor in secondary education at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. She has worked in Director of Athletic Communications Douglas Monson’s office at Stonehill since September of 2009. She has also served as an Eastern Massachusetts basketball and women’s lacrosse official for several years. LaBranche expects to graduate from Stonehill in May of 2013.
In addition to the four scholarships,
CoSIDA awarded the 2011-12 Phil Langan Graduate Internship Grant ($10,000) to Ursinus in Collegeville, Pa. With a department of just one full-time employee, Sports Information Director James Wagner covers 25 varsity sports without the benefit of either a part-time employee or any graduate assistants.
The Phil Langan Graduate Internship Grant provides funds for a sports information office to hire a graduate intern on a one-year basis, hoping the success of the program can help the schools demonstrate the need for additional assistance in the future.
All-Time CoSIDA Honorees
Postgraduate Scholarships: Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship and Langston Rogers Postgraduate Scholarship
2011-12 scholarhip amount: $5,000 each
1981 Craig Bohnert, Evansville
1982 John Lashway, Oregon
1983 Jay Hill, Michigan
1984 Jonathan Dukes, Georgia Southern
1985 Brian Teter, Illinois State
1986 Mark Berger, Ohio
1987 Chris McMurry, Northern Arizona
1988 Angela Hultman, Mankato State
1989 Beth Haag, Iowa State
1990 Stephanie Grimes, Boise State
1991 Lana Bandy, Purdue
1992 Amy Stabley, Central Michigan / Robert Hester, Northern Illinois
1993 Will Roleson, Miami (Ohio)
1994 Randy Hayson, Illinois State
1995 Stuart McFarland, Missouri / Sally Krauss, Western Kentucky
1996 Jeff Griesch, Nebraska
1997 Chris Ambrose, Purdue / Jeff Griesch, Nebraska
1998 Chris Ambrose, Purdue / Brian Gunning, Marshall
1999 Brian Gunning, Marshall / Heidi Roth, Syracuse
2000 Mark Fratto, Maryland / Andy Knappick, Illinois State
2001 Brad Caudill, Eastern Michigan / Susan Seabrook, Alabama-Birmingham
2002 Michelle Kelley, Colgate / Sean Wright, Westminster (Mo.)
2003 Brad Fischer, Wisconsin-La Crosse / Lainie Guiddy, West Virginia
2004 Eric Braley, Northern Iowa / Kristopher Sears, Indiana
2005 Michael Potter, Ball State / Erin Whiteside, Penn State
2006 Chris Yandle, Marshall / Jessica Calderone, Southeast Louisiana
2007 Caroline Domecq, Georgia / Kyle Chilton, Southern Virginia
2008 Jared Verner, Northwest Missouri State / Kendra Lee, Ohio State
2009 Laurie Wild, Northern Iowa / Britney Wright, Florida State
2010 Grant Abston, Texas / Mariel Brady, St. John’s
2011 Wylie Smith Scholarship:Andrew Lentz, Tennessee
Langston Rogers Scholarship: Britney Reddick, Kutztown
Fred Nuesch-Dave Wohlhueter Undergraduate Scholarship
2011-12 scholarship amount: $2,500 each
1999 Kate Adams, Iowa State / Michelle La Scola, Northern Illinois / Casey Taylor, Christopher Newport
2000 Daniel Dykstra, Wheaton (Ill.) / Kimberly Frederick, Manhattan / Bobbie Horstman, Iowa State
2001 Bobbie Horstman, Iowa State / Shayla Reiff, Mt. Vernon Nazarene / Dustin Roberts, Oklahoma
2002 Branie Davidson, Northwest Missouri State / Shante Gree, Fayetteville State / Teri LaJeunesse, Michigan Tech
2003 Kimberly Gray Folkes, Virginia Tech / Adam Holtz, Bethany Lutheran / Laura Schoenberger, Pittsburg State
2004 Cassie Chance, Mississippi State / Nick Kiger, Colorado State
2005 John Vogel, Youngstown State / Monique Bowman, Capital University
2006 Todd Zeidler, Bemidji / Amy Robertson, Mississippi State
2007 Caleb Hawley, Oregon State / Christina Marshall, James Madison
2008 Andrew Middleman, Baldwin-Wallace / Kevin Flora, University of the Cumberlands
2009 Carli Todd, Tampa / David Bodman, La Salle
2010 Michael Benson, Southern Illinois-Carbondale / James Rodriguez, Baldwin-Wallace
2011 Adam K. Moussa, Memphis / Erica LaBranche, Stonehill
Phil Langan Graduate Internship Grant
2011-12 Grant total: $10,000
1999 Alabama A&M, Wright State
2000 Central Oklahoma, Urbana (Ohio)
2001 Central State (Ohio), Cheyney
2002 Eckerd College, Hardin-Simmons
2003 St. Francis (N.Y.), Tennessee Tech
2004 Carroll College
2005 Wesleyan University
2006 Bellarmine
2007 Central College of Iowa
2008 Grand Canyon University
2009 Lake Erie College
2010 Illinois Wesleyan
2011 Ursinus