College Sports Information Directors of America

Release courtesy of the CoSIDA Scholarship Committee

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced that a record $35,000 will be distributed to the winners of their 2014-15 scholarships and grants on Thursday, June 12.

The amounts of each of its cornerstone postgraduation and undergraduate scholarships and its postgraduate internship grant was increased in 2014-15, while a pair of new CoSIDA Member Child Scholarships were added to the growing CoSIDA Scholarship Program.

CoSIDA Scholarship Committee members chose a pair of $7,500 postgraduate scholarship recipients, two more $3,000 undergraduate scholarship winners, two $1,000 scholarship winners among the children of CoSIDA members, and selected one school to receive a $12,000 graduate internship grant.

The scholarships were formally announced during CoSIDA’s annual workshop in Orlando, June 8-11.

CoSIDA’s two newest scholarships, the Family Member Scholarships, were awarded to Grace Neely, a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, and Dakota Hawkins, an incoming freshman to Winthrop.

Neely is the daughter of Kentucky Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Tony Neely. She previously earned a Presidential Scholarship at Kentucky and is a member of the school’s Honors Program. A sports administration major, she carries a 4.0 GPA after graduating with a 4.66 weighted GPA from Lafayette High School in Lexington, Ky., in 2013.

Hawkins, who will be entering his freshman year at Winthrop, is the son of Francis Marion Sports Information Director Michael Hawkins. Dakota, who attended Wilson High School in Florence, S.C., is planning to major in forensics chemistry while participating in men’s soccer at Winthrop.

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. Since presenting the first Wylie Smith Graduate Scholarship in 1981, CoSIDA has provided more than $460,000 in grants to students working in sports information offices at memberinstitutions 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.

Kyle Skene, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., earned theWylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship ($7,500). Skene, who earned his bachelor’s degree as an accounting major while minoring in mathematics will be a graduate intern in the Millsaps Sports Information Office. He has spent the past two seasons assisting Sports Information Director Dan Griffin as a student in the SID Office. Skene, originally from Littleton, Colo., was a three-year starter who earned first-team All-Southern Athletic Association honors as a senior center on the Millsaps football team in 2013. He was a second-team all-conference pick for the Majors as a junior, after claiming honorable-mention all-conference accolades as a sophomore. He was also a member of the SAA All-Sportsmanship Team in 2013. He also served as a resident assistant for two years during his undergraduate career at Millsaps.

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.

Kati Morse of Southeastern Louisiana claimed the Langston Rogers Postgraduate Scholarship ($7,500).

Morse, who earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Southeastern Louisiana in May of 2013, is pursuing a master’s degree in organizational communication from SLU. In addition to her graduate studies, Morse has been asset to Southeastern Louisiana Athletic Media Relations Office under Director of Sports Information Kemmler Chapple. As a graduate assistant in 2013-14, Morse has handled media relations for the track and field and cross country programs. Morse was a four-year contributor as a pitcher on the Southeastern Louisiana softball team, and earned a prestigious Jim McKay Scholarship from the NCAA in 2013. She was also the President of the Southeastern Student-Athlete Advisory Committeein2012-13, after serving as Vice-President in 2011-12 and Secretary in 2010-11.

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 Undergraduate Scholarship award ($3,000) was presented to Mike Mulcahy from the University of New Mexico and the Dave Wohlheuter Undergraduate Scholarship ($3,000) was awarded to Kourtney Freiburger from Purdue University.

Mulcahy, a senior journalism and mass communications major from Albuquerque, N.M., calimed the Nuesch Scholarship with a 3.94 at NewMexico. A Dean’s List member at New Mexico and a National Hispanic Scholar, Mulcahy also has carried a heavy workload as a communications assistant in Frank Mercogliano’s Lobo Athletic Communications Office. Mulcahy has served as the primary track and field and cross country contact for the Lobos since 2011. He also served as the co-media coordinator for the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships.

Freiburger earned the Wohlheuter Scholarship after compiling a 3.97 GPA as a public relations and strategic communications major at Purdue. The senior from Roanoke, Ind., who has been a member of the Purdue Athletic Communications Office under the direction of Associate Athletic Director Tom Schott since September of 2011, is expected to graduate in May of 2015. Freiburger has played a major role in assisting thePurdue softball team while providing event support for nearly all of the Boilermakers’ varsity sports. She added experience as an undergraduate intern from April to August of 2013 at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. She also gained experience as a merchandise associate for the Fort Wayne TinCaps minor league baseball team, and has worked as a student in the Purdue University Office of Admissions.

In addition to the six scholarships, CoSIDA awarded the 2014-15 Phil Langan Graduate Internship Grant ($12,000) to Gallaudet University and Assistant AD/Sports Information Sam Atkinson.

Atkinson overs 13 NCAA Division III varsity sports, including football, at the nation’s deaf and hard of hearing university. 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 school demonstrate the need for additional assistance in the future.

All-Time CoSIDA Scholarship Honorees

Postgraduate Scholarship

• 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 Andrew Lentz, Tennessee / Britney Reddick, Kutztown
• 2012 Carli Todd, DePaul / Joelle Milholm, Cal State Bakersfield
• 2013 Kim Carper, Vanderbilt / Joelle Milholm, Cal State Bakersfield
• 2014 Kati Morse, Southeastern Louisiana / Kyle Skene, Millsaps

Undergraduate Scholarship

• 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
• 2012 Jake Faber, Pittsburg State / Ashley Goettl, Wisconsin-River Falls
• 2013 Casey Bonk, Pittsburgh / Lucy Montgomery, Washington-St. Louis
• 2014 Mike Mulcahy, New Mexico / Kourtney Freiburger, Purdue

Graduate Internship Grant

• 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
• 2012 DePauw
• 2013 Chicago State
• 2014 Gallaudet

Member Child Scholarship

2014 Grace Neely (Kentucky)/Tony Neely (Kentucky) - Dakota Hawkins (Winthrop)/Michael Hawkins (Francis Marion)

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