CoSIDA Announces 2021-22 Scholarship and Grants Award Recipients
College Sports Information Directors of America
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by Brian Laubscher – Washington and Lee University Sports Information Director
Chair of the CoSIDA Scholarship Committee
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has announced its class of scholarship and grant winners for the 2021-22 academic year.
CoSIDA Scholarship Committee members chose a pair of $6,000 postgraduate scholarship recipients, two more $2,000 undergraduate scholarship winners, two renewable $1,000 scholarship winners among the children of CoSIDA members, and selected two schools to receive $15,000 graduate internship grants.
The CoSIDA Postgraduate Scholarships have been awarded since the program began in 1981. The Wylie Smith Scholarship and the Langston Rodgers Scholarship are named in honor of outstanding professionals in the athletics communications industry.
This year’s recipient of the Langston Rodgers Scholarship is Nicole Remedios of Illinois State University, while Morgan Turner of the Northeast Conference will receive the Wylie Smith Scholarship.
Remedios is a 2020 graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor of business administration, marketing. She is currently working towards a masters of kinesiology and recreation, sport management from Illinois State University, while also serving as a graduate assistant in the athletic communications office at Illinois Wesleyan University. As an undergraduate, Remedios was a captain of the women’s soccer team, earning United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region and Academic All-MAC accolades. She also served as a media relations assistant with the EMU Department of Athletics. She has served as a graduate assistant at Illinois Wesleyan since August of 2020, serving as the primary contact for eight varsity athletic teams.
Turner is a 2020 graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, with a minor in journalism. She was a member of the field hockey team and was editor of the Mount Holyoke News. She has been accepted into the master’s program for sports journalism at St. Bonaventure University and is awaiting acceptance into the sports management master’s program at Georgetown University. Her work experience includes serving as a communications assistant with the Northeast Conference, where she is responsible for all media activities in support of eight varsity intercollegiate sports. Her myriad work experiences also include stints as a high school sports reporter with NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, a communications and public relations intern with Sky Blue F.C., a staff writer and website manager for Mount Holyoke and as an editorial intern with Sports Illustrated.
The CoSIDA Undergraduate Scholarships have been presented every year since 1999 and two of the scholarships are also named for outstanding professionals in the field, Fred Neusch and Dave Wohlhueter.
The 2021-22 recipients of the CoSIDA Undergraduate Scholarships are Hannah Dumaine of Bryant University and Noah Roleson of the University of Indianapolis.
Dumaine will receive the undergraduate scholarship for a second straight year. The human resources management and communications major and psychology minor is a three-year student member of the athletic communications office at Bryant University. She expects to graduate in May of 2022. Dumaine is an active member of the campus community, serving as a member of the Bryant Student Government (Senator & Chief of Staff), the President’s Advisory Council (Secretary) and also serving as a Bryant University Community Advocate.
Roleson also expects to graduate in May of 2022 from the University of Indianapolis with a bachelor of science in communications. The son of CoSIDA Associate Executive Director Will Roleson, Noah is a three-year student member of the sports information office at UIndy as a key member of the staff, producing live streams and handling social media and graphics. He also serves as a staff member for WICR radio and has served as a volunteer for a number of CoSIDA and collegiate conference events.
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.
The Phil Langan Graduate Internships were also introduced in 1999 as a way to assist understaffed offices and provide opportunity for those wishing to break into the field. It is a one-year grant of $15,000 to hire a graduate intern. The 2021-22 school year will see NCAA Division I Coppin State University and NCAA Division II Adams State University receive the $15,000 grant to assist the efforts of two talented professionals.
Steven Kramer is in his fourth year as the director of athletic communications at Coppin State University, where he is the lone full-time member of the office supporting the school’s 14 Division I varsity athletic teams. He arrived at Coppin State in 2017 after two years with Prestosports, and his sports information experience includes stints at Wesley College, Lynn University and Loyola University Maryland.
Eric Flores in completing his first year as the director of sports information at Adams State University in 2020-21. He is also the lone full-time member of his department, providing the media relations efforts for a 20-sport Division II athletic program. His prior experience includes serving as an athletic media relations assistant at Missouri Southern State University, an athletic communications assistant at Pittsburg State University and as an advanced media assistant with the RMAC.
The CoSIDA Member-Child Scholarships constitute the organization’s newest scholarship program, assisting with educational funding for children of CoSIDA members. The program began in 2014 and is a $1,000 award that is renewable for up to four academic years given that the recipients meet the basic qualifications of the award.
This year’s recipients are Hollan Griesch and Gavin Thor.
Hollan Griesch is the daughter of Jeff Griesch, the senior associate communications director at the University of Nebraska. Hollan will attend Nebraska in the fall with the intention of majoring in sports media & communications. She graduated from East High School, where she is a member of the Honor Roll and the National Honor Society.
Gavin Thor is the son of Ira Thor, former Assistant AD for Strategic Communications at New Jersey City University who is now NJCU’s Senior Director of University Communications and Media Relations. Gavin begins at Seton Hall University in the fall, studying business law with a concentration in intellectual property in sports and entertainment. He also will be a team manager for the women’s basketball program. Thor graduated from Colts Neck High School and was an Honor Roll student and a varsity athlete.
The CoSIDA Scholarships and Grants program will award a total of $54,000 in scholarship and grant money to its members for the 2021-22 school year. Application deadlines are in April and the recipients are selected every May. For more information about the program and how you may benefit, please visit the Awards & Contests link on CoSIDA.com.
All-Time CoSIDA 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 2015 Andrew Forhan, Whitworth / Akilah Laster, Oklahoma 2016 James Hajek, Nebraska / Lorie Garnett, Nebraska 2017 Nicole Praga, Arizona State / Andrea Beene, Oklahoma 2018 Lauren Simpson, Illinois State / McKenzie Pavacich, Arizona State / Scott Vander Sloot, Ashland University 2019 Jordyn Ballard, Black Hills State / Tyler Roper, Utah Valley / Shaylee Souza, Arizona State 2020 Amber Dubois, North Florida / Tim Heiduk, Concordina (Calif.) / Mary Murray, Fairleigh Dickinson - Florham 2021 Nicole Remedios, Illinois State / Morgan Turner, Northeast Conference
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 2015 Nathan Edwards, San Jose State / Marisa Lombardo, Alvernia 2016 Morgan Romans, Eastern Kentucky / Christy Effendie, UC Davis 2017 Christopher Lawrence, Alaska Anchorage / Bailey Knecht, Northeastern 2018 Victoria Mills, Fort Wayne / Chelsea Lombardo, Adelphi / Liam Pickhardt, Linfield College 2019 Joseph Haueter, Mount Union / Kai Henson, St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) / Gabriel Vegas-Valente, Nebraska 2020 Noah Syverson, Berry College / Hannah Dumaine, Bryant / Miles Whitling, Idaho 2021 Hannah Dumaine, Bryant / Noah Roleson, Indianapolis
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 2015 Elmhurst College 2016 Post University 2017 Connecticut College 2018 Wright State / The Sage Colleges 2019 Benedict College / Westminster College (Mo.) 2020 St. Francis (Ill.) / Chicago State 2021 Adams State / Coppin State
Member Child Scholarship
2014 Grace Neely (Kentucky)/Tony Neely (Kentucky) - Dakota Hawkins (Winthrop)/Michael Hawkins (Francis Marion) 2015 Brinley Lowe (North Carolina)/Bob Lowe (Berry College) - Lauren Dickerson (William & Mary)/Drew Dickerson (Atlantic 10 Conference) 2016 Fiona Lefresne (Missouri State)/Pete Lefresne (Saint Leo) - Daniel Ruple (Baldwin Wallace)/Kevin Ruple (Baldwin Wallace) 2017 Fiona Lefresne (Missouri State)/Pete Lefresne (Saint Leo) - Daniel Ruple (Baldwin Wallace)/Kevin Ruple (Baldwin Wallace) Lauren Dickerson (William & Mary)/Drew Dickerson (Atlantic 10) - Kevin Mobley (Georgia)/Mike Mobley (Georgia) 2018 Peter Hartrick (Scranton)/John Hartrick (Binghamton) - Karlee Bird (Linfield College)/Kelly Bird (Linfield College) Fiona Lefresne (Missouri State)/Pete Lefresne (Earlham College) - Daniel Ruple (Baldwin Wallace)/Kevin Ruple (Baldwin Wallace) Kevin Mobley (Georgia)/Mike Mobley (Georgia) 2019 Sam Sadowski (Tufts)/Chuck Sadowski (Bridgeport) Solomon Serba-Davis (North Carolina Wilmington)/Kyle Serba (North Carolina Central) 2020 McKenna DiCamillo (St. John Fisher)/Tom DiCamillo (State University of New York Athletic Conference) Hailey Yellin (Maryland)/Jason Yellin (Maryland) 2021 Hollan Griesch (Nebraska)/Jeff Griesch (Nebraska) Gavin Thor (Seton Hall)/Ira Thor (New Jersey City)
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