College Sports Information Directors of America

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the winners of their 2007 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships on Wednesday, June 6.

The organization selected a pair of winners to receive $5,000 each toward pursuit of their postgraduate degrees, while adding two more undergraduate scholarship winners of $2,500 each.

The scholarships will be formally announced and presented on Tuesday, July 3, during CoSIDA's annual workshop in San Diego. The Undergraduate Scholarships and Graduate Internship Grants 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 Graduate Scholarship in 1981, CoSIDA has provided more than $300,000 in grants to students working in sports information offices at member institutions 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.

Caroline Domecq, a graduate student pursuing a master of education degree in sport management at Georgia, earned the Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship ($5,000). Domecq, who works in the Georgia Sports Communications office for Associate Athletic Director Claude Felton, serves as the media relations contact for the Bulldogs' women's tennis team. She carries a 3.85 grade-point average as a graduate student at Georgia. In 2006, as an undergraduate at Louisiana State, Domecq won the national story of the year award in CoSIDA's 2006 national writing contest. Domecq earned her bachelor's degree in mass communications with a minor in history from LSU in May 2006.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.

Kyle Chilton, the sports information director at Southern Virginia University, claimed the CoSIDA Postgraduate Scholarship ($5,000). Chilton is pursuing a master's degree in sports management from the U.S. Sports Academy with an expected graduation date of 2008. Chilton began in the sports information office at Southern Virginia in July of 2006 after graduating with honors from Brigham Young in August of 2005. As the sports information director at SVU, Chilton is the primary media contact for all 18 of the Buena Vista, Va., schools varsity sports.

Chilton carried a 3.81 undergraduate GPA at BYU, while also serving as a student assistant in the BYU Athletic Communications Office from May of 2004 to August of 2005, and as a graduate assistant for the Cougars from August of 2005 to July of 2006.

CoSIDA's Undergraduate Scholarship awards ($2,500 each) were presented to Caleb Hawley of Oregon State and Christina Marshall of James Madison. Hawley, who will be a junior new media communications major at Oregon State this fall, carries better than a 3.7 grade-point average at Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State. The Battle Creek, Neb., native also works as a student intern for Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information Director Steve Fenk in the OSU Sports Information Office. Marshall owns a 3.0 GPA in business and sport communication at James Madison, while working in the JMU Media Relations Office. Marshall was also a varsity swimmer in 2004-05 and 2005-06 at JMU and is an active triathlete. She is on track to graduate in May of 2008.

In addition to the four scholarships presented to deserving students, CoSIDA awarded the 2007 Graduate Internship Grant ($10,000) to Central College of Iowa. Associate Athletic Director of Marketing/Media Relations and Sports Information Director Larry Happel, plans to use the grant to hire Central College graduate Eric Bentzinger as an intern to help promote Central's 19-sport athletic program.

The Graduate Internship Grant provides funds for a sports information office to hire a graduate assistant on a one-year basis, hoping the success of the program can help the schools demonstrate the need for additional assistance in the future.

Overall, the 2007 CoSIDA scholarship contests were among the most competitive in history. A total of 36 schools applied for graduate internship grants with 20 schools receiving at least one vote from the selection committee. All 12 of the postgraduate scholarship applicants received at least one vote, while the undergraduate competition consisted of 29 qualified students in sports information offices around the nation.

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 University

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

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

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

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