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• 2022 Special Awards Announcements
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• #CoSIDA22 Convention Homepage
• Past Recipients: Arch Ward | Warren Berg | Rising Star | Bill Esposito Backbone
In the second day of the weeklong honors announcement, CoSIDA announces honors for: Charles Bloom, South Carolina (Arch Ward), Union's (Ky.) Jay Stancil (Warren Berg Award), Utah's Jordie Lindley (Bill Esposito Backbone Award) and Rising Stars Megan (Rowley) Althoff (Big Ten Conference), Denise Archetto (UNC Greensboro), Ali Paquette (Middlebury) and Jolisa Williams (Bowie State).
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) organization continues its week-long announcement of its 2022 Special Awards by recognizing seven more outstanding members for top university division and college division honors Tuesday. These honors are presented for distinguished contributions to the profession.
The 2022 recipients of the CoSIDA Warren Berg, Arch Ward, Rising Star and Bill Esposito Backbone Award honors are below. On February 21, the six-member 2022 CoSIDA Hall of Fame Class was announced. All honorees will be recognized during the 2022 CoSIDA Convention, taking place June 26-29 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.
Charles Bloom, Executive Associate AD/Chief of Staff/CCO at the University of South Carolina and a CoSIDA Past President, will be recognized with the 2022 Arch Ward Award, while
Jay Stancil, Director of Strategic Sports Communication at Union College (Ky.), and a past CoSIDA Board member, will receive the Warren Berg Award.
Both honors are presented annually to a CoSIDA member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of athletic communications, and who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession. The Berg Award is exclusively a college division honor.
Denise Archetto, the Assistant Director for Strategic Communications at UNC Greensboro, and
Megan (Rowley) Althoff, Associate Director of Communications at the Big Ten Conference, are recipients of CoSIDA's Rising Star Awards in the university division.
Ali Paquette, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Middlebury College, and
Jolisa Williams, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Bowie State University, are the CoSIDA Rising Star Award winners in the college division.
The Rising Star Award honors a CoSIDA member with 10 years of service or less whose work, service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that individual a "rising star" in athletic communications.
Jordie Lindley, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications at the University of Utah, is the Bill Esposito Backbone Award recipient. The Bill Esposito Backbone Award is presented to a member who displays sound judgment and unusual courage in taking a stand on intercollegiate athletics which is contrary to public opinion and sentiment or who displays sound judgment and unusual courage in guiding their institutions through difficult public relations situations.
The Esposito is not an annual award and is presented only when worthy candidates are nominated. Lindley will be the ninth honoree to receive the Esposito Award since it was first presented in 1966 and the first since 2017. Lindley was involved in handling the crisis communications and intensive national media attention following the tragic deaths of two Utah football student-athletes within nine months of each other in 2020 and 2021.
A closer look at the individuals honored today:
ARCH WARD AWARD
Charles Bloom – University of South Carolina (Executive Associate AD/Chief of Staff/CCO)
Charles Bloom, a CoSIDA Hall of Fame member (2011), is the Executive Associate Athletics Director/Chief of Staff for the University of South Carolina Athletics Department. In his current role, Bloom is a Senior Advisor to Athletics Director Ray Tanner and the Chief Communications Officer for Gamecock athletics.
He served as President of CoSIDA in 2007-08.
Bloom serves as the sport administrator for softball and oversees media relations, ticket office, Gamecock Productions and the campus SEC Network operations. Bloom was named Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at Carolina in October 2012.
Before taking the post at Carolina, Bloom spent 17 years as director of the Southeastern Conference office's media and public relations efforts, and the last 10 years as Associate Commissioner. As chief spokesperson for the SEC, he supervised the media and public relations operations for the SEC's 21 sports, directly overseeing football, and was the administrator for baseball in the SEC office
In addition, Bloom oversaw the editorial content and planning for the SECDigitalNetwork.com website and started the SEC office's presence in social media. Bloom assisted with the creation of the Bowl Championship Series, including its formula for ranking teams and also developing its media relations policies and procedures.
Bloom, a native of Emporia, Va., came to the Southeastern Conference from East Carolina University where he served as Sports Information Director/Assistant Athletics Director from 1988-95. He also was an associate SID at Ole Miss from 1987-88 and an assistant SID at LSU from 1985-87.
A 1985 graduate of the University of South Carolina, Bloom served as an undergraduate and graduate assistant in the Gamecock SID office.
Bloom is currently a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (past president), Public Relations Society of America, and past president of the Alabama Public Relations Society of America chapter. Since 2013, Bloom is the University of South Carolina's chairperson for the United Way of the Midlands campus-wide campaign and is the current community chair for the Loaned Staff Program of United Way, a similar position also held while in the Birmingham community.
Arch Ward Award
Presented annually to
a current CoSIDA member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information, and who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.
Voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
WARREN BERG AWARD
Jay Stancil – Union College (Ky.) (Director of Strategic Sports Communications)
Union College's Director of Strategic Sports Communications,
Jay Stancil has served in athletics communications at the school since 1999.
In 2010, Stancil received the Clarence "Ike" Pearson Award, which is the NAIA-SIDA's highest honor and recognizes its honoree for accomplishments and service performed over a career.
He is the second NAIA recipient of the Warren Berg Award, following current CoSIDA President Cindy Potter (Columbia College) who earned the honor two years ago. Stancil is a three-time winner of the Willie Belcher AAC SID of the Year Award (2012, 2019, and 2020).
Heavily involved in his national association's governance, Stancil served a three-year term on CoSIDA's Board of Directors (2016-19) as a College Division At-Large Representative. A long-time member of NAIA-SIDA (NAIA's Sports Information Directors Association), Stancil was NAIA-SIDA President from 2011-14.
Stancil currently serves on the CoSIDA Special Awards Committee and Advocacy Committee. He previously served on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Committee from 2007-19 and was a member of the former CoSIDA College Division Management Council (2008-14).
Stancil has earned 50 NAIA-SIDA Publication Awards with three first-place honors and one Best Cover, and also has earned CoSIDA Fred S. Stabley Sr. Writing Contest district honors.
Over the years, Stancil has served as the media coordinator for numerous NAIA postseason national, regional and conference tournaments, including the 2016 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championship Meet.
As Union's SID, Stancil has had numerous student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America District honors with 19 receiving CoSIDA Academic All-America Team honors with six making the first team and one being named player of the year. Additionally, he has had one student-athlete receive the Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award while two were featured in
Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" section.
A 1994 graduate of Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., Stancil received his B.A. in communication arts with emphasis in broadcasting, journalism and public relations with a minor in business management.
Warren Berg Award
Presented annually to a CoSIDA
college division (NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, Two-year Colleges, and Canadian/U Sports)
member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information, and who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.
Voted on by the Special Awards Committee. (Note: Nominees can be an active or retired member.)
RISING STAR AWARD, UNIVERSITY DIVISION
Denise Archetto – UNC Greensboro (Assistant Director for Strategic Communications)
Denise Archetto is in her first year at UNCG as an assistant director of strategic communications after spending the last five at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has the day-to-day responsibility for women's soccer, softball, women's golf, men's and women's cross-country/track and field.
In addition, she is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) liaison from athletics communications.
A member of the CoSIDA Mentorship Committee, Archetto took part in the NCAA Division II ADA Mentorship Committee in 2020-21.
While at Stonehill, she received the 2017 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Excellence in Communications Award for Cross Country, followed by the Stonehill athletic communications staff awarded the 2018 American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) Grant Burger Media Award as the East Region recipient for NCAA Division II.
Archetto also earned her CoSIDA Publications and Digital Design Contest national honors for infographic design in 2018.
Archetto previously worked at Harvard University as an athletic communications intern.
A native of Cranston, Rhode Island, Archetto was a four-year member of the Lasell College softball team and was co-captain her senior year. Archetto graduated from Lasell in 2015 with a Bachelor's of Science in sport management and earned her Masters of Education in athletic administration from Endicott College in December of 2016.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CoSIDA members – one in the University Division (NCAA DI) and one in the College Division (NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, Two-year Colleges, U Sports) – with 10 years of service or less whose work at their institution, conference office or intercollegiate athletics-affiliated association and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that
individual a "rising star" in sports information. Voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
RISING STAR AWARD, UNIVERSITY DIVISION
Megan (Rowley) Althoff – Big Ten Conference (Associate Director, Communications)
Megan (Rowley) Althoff currently serves as Associate Director, Communications at the Big Ten Conference. Althoff works as the primary media contact for baseball, field hockey, men's golf, women's gymnastics, men's ice hockey and wrestling and serves as the secondary media contact for football.
Additionally, Althoff fills the role of media coordinator for Super Saturday, the Big Ten Baseball Tournament and the Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, while also working as the assistant media coordinator for Big Ten Football Media Days and the Big Ten Football Championship Game.
Althoff originally joined the Big Ten in 2016 and spent one year working as the Bob Hammel Communications Intern. In that role, Rowley served as the conference's primary media contact for a variety of Big Ten sports and was the secondary media contact for women's basketball and men's ice hockey.
A native of Hinsdale, Ill., Althoff earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 2015, and worked in the Hawkeyes' athletic communications department from 2014-16.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CoSIDA members – one in the University Division (NCAA DI) and one in the College Division (NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, Two-year Colleges, U Sports) – with 10 years of service or less whose work at their institution, conference office or intercollegiate athletics-affiliated association and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that
individual a "rising star" in sports information. Voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
RISING STAR AWARD, COLLEGE DIVISION
Ali Paquette – Middlebury College (Assistant Director of Athletic Communications)
Ali Paquette re-joined the athletic communications staff at Middlebury in January of 2020 as the assistant director. She served in a similar role at Wesleyan from 2018-20 after spending two years as the athletic communications intern at Middlebury. During her time with the Cardinals, she served as the primary contact for 17 sports and managed the athletic department's social media and graphic design.
At Middlebury, Paquette oversees the department's social media and graphic design and assists with day-to-day operations of the office and maintenance of the athletic department's website. She is the chair of the Middlebury Athletics' Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and is a member of the College's Anti-Racism Task Force.
She is an active member of CoSIDA, D3SIDA and EAST-COMM (Eastern Athletic Communications Association, formerly ECAC-SIDA). In 2020, Paquette was appointed to the CoSIDA Division III Cabinet and the D3SIDA Board. She also is a member of CoSIDA's Professional Development and Education Committee. Paquette was named the College Representative on EAST-COMM's Executive Board in 2019.
Her work has been honored numerous times. In 2021, Paquette and members of the Middlebury athletics' DEI Committee were honored with a CoSIDA ChangeMaker Innovation Award for producing the Leaning Into Discomfort series. She has earned district recognition in the CoSIDA Fred S. Stabley Sr. Writing Contest, and in 2020, won the Winter NCAA Division III and D3SIDA Recognition Award for outstanding storytelling. Paquette's infographic design work has been recognized with national honors in CoSIDA's Publications and Digital Design Contest,
Paquette has been a media relations staff member for multiple NESCAC and NCAA Championship events, including the 2017 NCAA Field Hockey Championship (Middlebury), the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Championship (Wesleyan), the 2019 NESCAC Swimming & Diving Championship (Wesleyan) and the 2019 NCAA Tennis Championships (Wesleyan).
In 2018, she received her Master's of Sport Management and Athletic Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. A 2013 graduate of Salve Regina, Paquette was a member of the Seahawks' cross country and track and field teams.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CoSIDA members – one in the University Division (NCAA DI) and one in the College Division (NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, Two-year Colleges, U Sports) – with 10 years of service or less whose work at their institution, conference office or intercollegiate athletics-affiliated association and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that
individual a "rising star" in sports information. Voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
RISING STAR AWARD, COLLEGE DIVISION
Jolisa Williams – Bowie State University (Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations)
In August 2021,
Jolisa Williams arrived at Bowie State University after spending six years (2015-2021) at Shaw University as the assistant athletic director for media relations.
Williams is responsible for coordinating media relations efforts for all 13 of Bowie State's athletic programs.
During her tenure at Shaw, Williams rebranded and set new heights for the media relations area that included a redesign of the athletic website and enhancing the social media platforms – which was ranked amongst the top 30 among in Division II, and first in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference (CIAA). She introduced the "Shaw Report," a weekly podcast that featured coaching interviews, recaps and previews of athletic events.
Williams led the department's Shaw Bears Sports Network streaming platform where, for the first time in Shaw history, the department streamed football, men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer and softball all in one season.
Williams was twice named the CIAA John Holley Sports Information Director of the Year, in 2016-17 and 2018-19.
A member of the CIAA Management Council since 2017, she was appointed to her management council seat after being elected president of the CIAA Sports Information Directors Association (CIAA-SIDA). Williams also holds memberships with Women Leaders and Black College Sports Information Directors Association (BC-SIDA).
Prior to her work at Shaw, Williams spent time as the Director of Sports Information & Marketing at Richard Bland College in 2014. She was the main contact for all nine-sport teams including the men's basketball program that captured the 2015 Region 10 Conference title and NJCAA National Championship for DII basketball.
Prior to Richard Bland, Williams interned at Virginia State University.
A 2012 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Saint Augustine's University with a degree in sport management, she was a four-year letterwinner and starting point guard for the Lady Falcons women's basketball team. Williams earned a Master's degree from Virginia State in 2014.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CoSIDA members – one in the University Division (NCAA DI) and one in the College Division (NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, Two-year Colleges, U Sports) – with 10 years of service or less whose work at their institution, conference office or intercollegiate athletics-affiliated association and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that
individual a "rising star" in sports information. Voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
BILL ESPOSITO BACKBONE AWARD
Jordie Lindley – University of Utah (Assistant Athletics Director for Communications)
Jordie Lindley has served at the University of Utah since 2017. She was promoted to Assistant Athletics Director for Communications in May 2021 when she assumed the role of primary media contact for the Utah Football program after working with the program for four years among other duties as the primary media contact for Utah's women's basketball program, men's golf and men's and women's tennis. At her promotion, she was one of just nine women serving as the primary football contact at a Power 5 program.
She is the recipient of the Bill Esposito Backbone Award as she guided Utah through a difficult public relations situation following the deaths of two football student-athletes within a year of each other – and with unique ties to each other.
As the then No. 2 football contact at Utah, she assisted on public relations efforts following the tragic death of football student-athlete Ty Jordan on Dec. 25, 2020, and the subsequent national attention Jordan's death received.
After becoming the primary football contact in 2021, she handled publicity for the establishment of the Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship, whose inaugural recipient was teammate (both at Utah and in high school) Aaron Lowe. She also covered Lowe's decision to change his jersey number from No. 2 to 22 to pay tribute to Jordan.
Then, just a few months later, Lindley then coordinated communication efforts and a lengthy list of media requests with team and administration officials following Lowe's tragic passing on Sept. 26, 2021.
During the 2021 football season, Lindley coordinated multiple visits to Salt Lake City from ESPN (including College GameDay), some visits specifically related to Lowe and Jordan, up to and including Utah's appearance in the Rose Bowl. Lindley exercised great care and compassion with both student-athletes and coaches, among others, in identifying and preparing various groups to speak on Jordan and Lowe.
Additionally, she was appointed to serve as the communications representative on Utah Athletics' Preparedness Committee to navigate the return to football competition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A 2010 graduate of Oklahoma State, Lindley was a soccer student-athlete and a two-year student intern in athletics communications. She began her career in athletics media relations as a postgraduate intern at Oklahoma State in 2010. She spent 2011 as a communications assistant at Oregon State before moving to the University of Northern Iowa in 2012 to be assistant director of communications until she made the move to Utah in 2017.
Bill Esposito Backbone Award
Presented to a CoSIDA member who displays sound judgment and unusual courage in guiding his/her institution, conference office or collegiate athletics-affiliated association through a difficult public relations situation. Note: Voted on by the Special Awards Committee only when worthy candidates are nominated.
Honoree information complied by CoSIDA Special Awards Committee Chairman Jeff Hodges (University of North Alabama) and Barb Kowal, CoSIDA Director of Professional Development and External Affairs.