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CSC Achievement Award
Voted upon by the CSC Special Awards Committee, the CSC Achievement Awards are presented annually to one University Division member and one College Division member who have made outstanding contributions to the field of athletic communications and provided exceptional service to their institution, conference or other intercollegiate athletics affiliated association. A nominee must have 10 or more years of experience in the athletic communications field and must not have served in the lead role overseeing an athletic communications office. This award is designed for an individual who has not been a recipient of any CSC major award in their careers (such as Warren Berg, Arch Ward or Hall of Fame).
Patrick Rydeen – Concordia, St. Paul, Associate Director of Athletic Communications
A homegrown member of the Concordia-St. Paul athletic communications team,
Patrick Rydeen, the Golden Bears’ associate director of communications, is the recipient of the 2024 CSC Achievement Award for the College Division.
A Message from
Patrick Rydeen, 2024 Achievement Award Recipient –
On his CSC award: "I'm deeply honored to receive this award and I would like to thank the Special Awards Committee for considering me. I have been blessed to work with tremendous people in our department over the years, including Associate Athletic Director for Communications Josh Deer, and this award would not have been possible without their hard work and support."
On being at Concordia for over a decade: "Since first setting foot on campus at Concordia-St. Paul as a freshman in the fall of 2009, I have been able to witness and take part in an exciting time of growth for the University and the athletic department. Having experienced what it means to be a Golden Bear as a student-athlete, a graduate assistant and now as a full-time member of the sports information staff, I have a deep connection with CSP and I'm thankful for the opportunities that I have been given here. Concordia will always be a special place for me."
Gallery: (3-6-2024) Patrick Rydeen, Achievement Award
Concordia University St. Paul Director of Athletics, Regan McAthie –
"It has been a pleasure to watch Patrick Rydeen grow both personally and professionally and it is incredibly fortunate for us that he's chosen to do so at Concordia. His knowledge, attention to detail, and passion for promoting student-athletes have helped position our communications department as one of the best in Division II. He's a very deserving recipient of this award and CSP Athletics is stronger for him being a part of it."
Concordia St. Paul Head volleyball coach, Brady Starkey – "Patrick has been a dedicated professional to Concordia-St. Paul and instrumental in pushing for coverage of our athletics at CSP. It's difficult to find media coverage in a major sports marketing area, but Patrick has done an amazing job of covering our teams and promoting our success. We are lucky to have Patrick in our department and we are grateful for his continued support."
A baseball student-athlete at Concordia-St. Paul, Rydeen began as an undergraduate intern in the athletic communications office in 2012-13 before spending two years as a graduate assistant. In 2015, Rydeen was promoted to assistant sports information director before being elevated to associate director of athletic communications in 2022.
The primary contact for Concordia-St. Paul’s volleyball, men’s basketball and track and field programs, Rydeen has overseen the publicity for three of the Bears’ NCAA Division II championship volleyball teams. His work with the program has helped elevate the university’s overall profile in the No. 13 media market in the United States.
Initially hired to oversee internal webcasting efforts for select sports in addition to his communications duties, Rydeen is now instrumental in helping oversee operations of nearly every aspect of the department.
In addition to his Concordia-St. Paul duties, Rydeen has spent the last 10 years assisting the Minnesota State High School League in various roles with the association’s prep state championships. He is in his fourth year as an official statistician for the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) and Minnesota Lynx (WNBA) and recently completed two seasons as an official scorer for the St. Paul Saints, the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.
Rydeen graduated from Concordia-St. Paul in 2013 and completed a master’s degree in sport management in 2015.