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2024 Special Awards Announcements
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Special Awards Program
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Arch Ward Award
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Warren Berg Award
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Rising Star Award
CSC recognizes the following six honorees on day two of our 2024 CSC Special Awards announcement: Amy Yakola, ACC (Arch Ward Award; also honored Jan. 16 as a new CSC Hall of Fame inductee) and Missouri S&T's John Kean (Warren Berg Award); along with Rising Stars Award winners Emily Dorko (Adelphi), Katie Gonzales (Illinois Wesleyan), Sam Knehans (Sun Belt Conference) and Jordan Sarnoff (FDU).
2024 Special Awards Announcements:
Please note: Following this week's announcements of all awards, CSC will highlight recipients throughout the spring with special individualized content and social media recognitions and honor them in person during the June CSC UNITE24 convention in Las Vegas (June 9-12).
Honoree information compiled by CSC Special Awards Committee Chair Jeff Hodges (University of North Alabama) and Barb Kowal, CSC Director of Professional Development and Operations.
The College Sports Information Communicators (CSC) organization continues its week-long announcement of its 2024 Special Awards by recognizing six more outstanding members for top university division and college division honors. These honors are presented for distinguished contributions and commitment to the profession.
The 2024 recipients of the CSC Warren Berg, Arch Ward and Rising Star honors are below. On January 16, the six-member 2024 CSC Hall of Fame Class was announced.
Amy Yakola, deputy commissioner and chief of external affairs at the Atlantic Coast Conference, will be recognized with the 2024 Arch Ward Award, while John Kean, athletic communications director at Missouri S&T, will receive the Warren Berg Award. Yakola, as announced on Jan. 16, also will be inducted into the 2024 CSC Hall of Fame as well.
Both the Arch Ward and Warren Berg honors are presented annually to a CSC 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.
Emily Dorko, associate athletic director of external relations and senior woman administrator at Adelphi University, and
Katie Gonzales, Illinois Wesleyan University assistant athletic director for athletic communications, are recipients of CSC Rising Star Awards in the college division.
Sam Knehans, senior associate commissioner and chief communications & branding officer at the Sun Belt Conference, and
Jordan Sarnoff, Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) special assistant to the athletic director, are the CSC Rising Star Award winners in the university division (Division I).
The Rising Star Award, begun in 2006, honors a CSC 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.
All CSC Special Award honorees will be recognized during the 2024 CSC Convention which takes place June 9-12 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week. The Arch Ward and Warren Berg honors will be recognized on June 10 during our special evening awards ceremony; the Rising Stars will be honored on June 12 during our Special Awards luncheon.
A closer look at these six awards winners:
ARCH WARD AWARD
Amy Yakola – Atlantic Coast Conference
Deputy Commissioner/Chief of External Strategy // past CSC Executive Board of Directors member
Not only is
Amy Yakola being honored as the 2024 recipient of CSC's Arch Ward Award for her outstanding contributions to the field of college sports communications, but she is also being recognized as a member of the CSC Hall of Fame class of 2024. That announcement, made January 16, can be found
here.
Her tenure with the ACC began in 1998 and she has served in a number of areas. She currently oversees the external department that includes strategic communications, public relations, marketing and branding, social/digital and creative strategy. As the chief spokesperson for the conference, when appropriate, she also oversees the ACC's promotional and branding efforts involving nearly 10,000 student-athletes, 15 institutions, 28 sponsored sports, championships and events across the league. Yakola also is the conference office liaison to the league's development directors.
In 2016, Yakola was named to the Sports Business Journal's Forty Under 40 class which is an annual celebration of the country's best young talent in sports business.
A member of the CSC Board of Directors from 2016-19, Yakola's long-time involvement with the organization includes serving as moderator on numerous CSC panels, emceeing CSC award presentations and events, serving on the Division I Cabinet, serving as chair of the Membership Recognition Committee, and serving on the CSC Executive Director Search Committee (2022). She has also been a presenter/contributor on numerous CSC convention panels and webinars.
In her 26 years at the ACC, Yakola has worked national championship events in numerous sports, including serving on the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four Media Coordinator Committee (2002, 2003, 2005-2010, as the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four Moderator (2007-2010) and as College Football Playoff National Championship Game Press Conference Moderator (2015 - Present).
A 1998 graduate of Clemson University, Yakola earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics teaching before beginning her tenure with the ACC. She is a native of Saline, Michigan, and was inducted into the Saline Area Schools Hall of Fame in September 2022.
Arch Ward Award
Presented annually to a current CSC 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
John Kean – Missouri University of Science & Technology
Athletic Communications Director
Now in his 34th year as the athletic communications director at Missouri S&T,
John Kean previously has been honored by CSC with a 25-Year Award (2016) and induction into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2021.
While in charge of the external communications and promotional efforts for Missouri S&T's 17 athletic teams, Kean has earned additional recognition at the conference and national levels. He earned the 2023 Roy Pickerill Distinguished Service Award from the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) and was recipient of the Dr. Thomas Kearns Service Award from the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2018.
Kean served for four years as the president of D2SIDA before doing a three-year term on the CSC Board of Directors from 2018-21. He was also the president of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) sports information directors during the 1995-96 academic year.
Kean has served on various committees: on the College Division Management Advisory Committee within CSC as vice chair; on the GLVC's scheduling committee and on the programming subcommittee during the creation of the GLVC Sports Network. He has also assisted with several NCAA regional and national events, including eight men's basketball and two women's basketball Elite Eight championships. In addition, Kean has been part of the Division II CCA All-America program, serving as the national coordinator for the softball program for 15 seasons and as a regional coordinator for the men's basketball program.
Kean has earned two district writing awards from CSC, earning a first place award in the historical feature category for District Seven in 2006 and the second in 2022.
The native of Florissant, Mo., began his career in athletic communications as a graduate assistant in the department at Southeast Missouri State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in communications in 1986.
Warren Berg Award
Presented annually to a CSC 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, COLLEGE DIVISION
Emily Dorko – Adelphi University
Associate Athletic Director of External Relations and Senior Woman Administrator
Emily Dorko has worked at her alma mater, NCAA Division II Adelphi University, since February 2017. Hired as associate athletic director of external relations, she also became the department's senior woman administrator (SWA) in November of 2019.
In her position, she oversees all communication efforts for the department, including the branding and marketing strategy for all social media platforms. The primary sports information contact for volleyball, women's lacrosse, men's lacrosse, cross country/track and field, men's basketball and swimming and diving, she also is the sports administrator for baseball, volleyball, cross country/track and field and women's bowling.
The liaison to Adelphi's Alumni Relations and Advancement departments, she also works on special events while also collaborating with University communications and marketing colleagues. Each year as she assists in these areas, Adelphi has seen an increase in the amount of donations given on its annual Giving Day.
As a member For the Northeast-10 Conference, she served on the committee to launch a conference-wide digital network, NE10 NOW.
In 2017 and 2019 she served as the primary sports information contact for Adelphi's Division II women's lacrosse national champions, a program that has seen nine titles since 2004.
Dorko returned to her alma mater after nearly two years at nearby NYIT where she served as assistant athletic director for strategic communications.
A native of Matamoras, Pa., Dorko is a double alumna of Adelphi, receiving a bachelor's degree in marketing and her M.B.A. in marketing from the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business. She was also a two-sport athlete, lettering in volleyball (2009-2012) and softball (2010-2013). She was also named National Fastpitch Coaches Association First Team All-America in her final season at Adelphi, and holds the program record for career steals (106) while ranking fourth in career hits and fifth in career average.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CSC members – in the University Division (NCAA DI) and 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
Katie Gonzales – Illinois Wesleyan University
Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications
In the last two-plus months,
Katie Gonzales has been recognized with three leadership positions or honors.
In addition to receiving a 2024 CSC Rising Star Award, Gonzales was recently elevated to chair of the prestigious CSC Academic All-America® Core Program Committee in November, after serving as vice chair and operations director in earlier committee roles. On January 12, 2023, Gonzales was recognized as one of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) Administrator Award recipients, earning the Emerging Leader Award and receiving a $1,000 professional development grant.
Gonzales, who became Illinois Wesleyan's first female director of athletic communications, is in her fifth year as IWU's Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications, serving as the primary contact for football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, and softball. Since starting her position, Gonzales's responsibilities have since expanded to include the marketing and sponsorship of IWU athletics. She has hosted and served as liaison for the the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball first, second, third, and fourth rounds.
She serves as Chair of Illinois Wesleyan's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Committee and is a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
A 2014 graduate of Loras College, she was a student intern in the sports information office before moving into the assistant director of athletic communications role as a senior. She earned her master's degree in sports management from Eastern Michigan University in 2017 before transitioning into an assistant director of athletic communications position at EMU, her position prior to the Illinois Wesleyan appointment.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CSC members – in the University Division (NCAA DI) and 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
Sam Knehans – Sun Belt Conference
Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief Communications & Branding Officer
Sam Knehans is in his third year at the Sun Belt Conference, first serving as the league's associate commissioner for communications and branding before being promotion in 2022 to senior associate commissioner, chief communications and branding officer.
In addition to his administrative duties at the Sun Belt as a member of Commissioner's senior staff, Knehans continues to serve as the primary communications contact for football and baseball.
Actively involved in College Sports Communicators throughout his professional career, Knehans has served as a member in the CSC Mentorship Program (2020-present) and is currently a member of the New Media (2018-present) and Advocacy (2022-present) Committees. He previously was on the NAIA-SIDA New Media and Branding Committee (2014-16) and the CSC Convention Programming Committee from 2016-20 (now the Professional Development and Continuing Education Committee).
Since assuming the senior associate commissioner role, Knehans has rebuilt the Sun Belt communications and branding unit and aided in the transition of four new conference members.
He spearheaded the Sun Belt's media outreach and marketing around the conference-record four football victories over autonomy five opponents during the 2022 season—including the national Sun Belt Rising campaign, highlighted by billboards in Times Square in New York City. Knehans also led the conference's activations around the second-ever ESPN College GameDay broadcast to originate from a Sun Belt campus at App State in Boone, N.C., on Sept. 17, 2022.
These campaigns helped the Sun Belt to generate over 155,000 engagements across its social media platforms in September 2022—the fourth-most among all NCAA Division I conferences trailing only the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12 and 21,500 more than the conference generated in the entire year of 2020 prior to his arrival.
During Knehans' tenure, the Sun Belt has produced a 232 percent increase in social media engagements, including a 66 percent year-over-year increase from 2020 to 2021 and a 100 percent year-over-year increase from 2021 to 2022.
Knehans arrived at the Sun Belt following a five-year stint as the The Ivy League assistant executive director, communications & championships. Prior to joining the Ivy League, Knehans held roles with the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Knehans previously was honored with the SSAC Administrator of the Year Award (2014-15).
A summa cum laude graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a perfect 4.0 GPA as class valedictorian, Knehans earned his bachelor of arts in magazine journalism and political science with minors in sport management and African American studies. He completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA), with specializations in marketing and strategic management, from the Villanova School of Business at Villanova University. He again graduated with a 4.0 GPA, earning induction into Beta Gamma Sigma: The International Business Honor Society.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CSC members – in the University Division (NCAA DI) and 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
Jordan Sarnoff – Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU)
Special Assistant to the Athletic Director
Jordan Sarnoff, currently a special assistant to the athletic director at FDU, is the definition of a rising star. He began his work with FDU as a high school senior, assisting on men's and women's basketball and softball gamedays in a variety of roles, including official replay review operator, timeout coordinator (TOC) and public address announcer.
Sarnoff just graduated in December 2023 with his undergraduate degree. Beginning as FDU's athletic communications manager, Sarnoff rose to his position as coordinator for athletic media relations, then as director of athletic media relations over the course of just three years - all as an undergraduate student. His work gained attention on a national stage in March 2023 when the FDU men's basketball team orchestrated one of the great March Madness upsets with its stunning first round defeat of Purdue. Sarnoff was profiled nationally as the team's men's basketball contact while still an undergraduate college student, an absolute rarity not only in Division I athletics, but in collegiate athletics as a whole. He also was invited to participate on the NCAA Division I Men's Final Four Media Coordination Committee at the 2023 Final Four in Houston.
Even before coming to FDU, he served as the sports information director for nearby Fort Lee, New Jersey public schools while in high school. The prior experience paved the way for him to serve as a primary sport contact for several Division I programs immediately upon entering college.
Sarnoff was recognized in December as a member of the
CSC 30 Under 30 Class of 2023. The honor recognizes emerging athletics communications professionals at all levels of college sports in strategic, creative and digital spaces.
Currently a member of the CSC Young Professionals Committee, the ECAC Voting Committee, and the NEC Sports Information Committee, Sarnoff's involvement in the athletic communications industry already runs deep before the time that most enter the profession. He has twice been honored as a "Top 40 Power Player in North Jersey Athletics" by NorthJersey.com/TheRecord, and was named to the inaugural Meadowlands Chamber "50 Under 30" list in May 2023.
Rising Star Award
Presented annually to CSC members – in the University Division (NCAA DI) and 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.