College Sports Information Directors of America

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CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC

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This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CSC membership during the celebration of College Sports Communicators Membership Appreciation Week for 2022-23. See more features at CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC.


Mitch Huppert – Marian University, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications

by Tommy Chasanoff – University of the Cumberlands, Assistant AD - Sports Information // Vice Chair, CSC Membership Recognition Committee

Mitch Huppert is in his seventh year at the Marian University, a NAIA institution based in Indianapolis, Indiana. After coming to Marian in September 2016, Huppert as been elevated twice: first to sports information director in 2020 and, most recently, to assistant athletic director for communications this past June. Mitch oversees the Knights athletic department with 24 sports, many of which have earned national recognition and have found success at both the conference and national levels. Huppert's success at Marian has aided him in becoming the first repeat winner of the Crossroads League Sports Information Director of the Year Award which he earned in 2021 and 2022. 

Prior to his time at Marian, Huppert served as an intern for the Indiana High School Athletic Association in a sports information and sports administration role. He graduated in 2016 from the University of Indianapolis where he played football and worked in their game day operation department.
 

How did you get involved in the CSC profession after doing an internship with the Indiana High School Athletic Association?
MH: While I was interning at the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Marian was going through a transition in their sports information department and was looking for an assistant. Through my contacts, I was put in touch with Zach Wadley and it was a great opportunity. Zach brought a lot of experience to the department which allowed me to grow and gain leadership experience; when the opportunity came, I was ready to step in to lead the department. Taking over as the head SID was mentally challenging because I took over right when Covid happened. However, over the past few years, I have been molding the department vision and direction into my own.

You have covered over 35 NAIA National Championship events throughout your time at Marian. What advice would you give to other communicators as their teams reach those plateaus?
MH: The biggest advice is that you can’t take it for granted. You never know if or when a team will reach that level of success again so make sure you are coving the moment and spreading the student-athletes success. I’ve been in an interesting position of getting to cover multiple teams at nationals at the same time and while it’s a lot of work and late nights, being able to provide coverage for the teams and tell the stories of the student-athletes makes it worth while.

My favorite championship was the 2019 NAIA Volleyball Championship because it was a great run with late nights and not only did volleyball win, but our women’s soccer and football teams were also making deep postseason runs at the same time.
 

Marian recently surpassed 10,000 followers on Twitter. What has been the significance of that milestone and how have you continued to expand your following since joining the Knights in 2016?
MH: This has been a goal for us since I arrived at Marian. The biggest significance is that the student-athletes, coaches, and our fans have taken a liking to what we’re doing here. Several years ago, we made a decision that we were going to use our main account as a one-stop shop for information and use that to grow the team accounts from there and it has been working. It also has provided us a chance to control the branding of the athletic department throughout social media.

With 24 sports, how to manage the work/life balance? Do you have any tips that you have found work better than others?
MH: I’m very fortunate that I work for an incredible athletic director, Steve Downing, who encourages me to take days off and time away from the office. Especially with crossover seasons, we try to find time when we have a down day to get away from the office or not work long hours. The other thing that I do consistently is, after every season has completed, I take one complete day off to recharge and prepare for the next season.