McNight Earns AVCA Grant Burger Media Award for Sports Information
College Sports Information Directors of America
Lexington, Ky. - Shamus McKnight, the Assistant Media Relations Director at the University of Nebraska earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) 2007-08 AVCA Grant Burger Media Award for Sports Information.
The AVCA Grant Burger Media Award is an honor intended to recognize members of the media who have been involved in the advancement of the sport of volleyball, whether it be through consistent coverage in all mediums (sports information, print, broadcasting and web content), production of volleyball-specific publications or extensive radio and/or television exposure. It is named in honor of Grant Burger, former Director of Sports Information and Associate Director of the AVCA (1988-92), whose hard work, innovative mind, knowledge and enthusiasm took the areas of media relations and publications at the AVCA to a higher level and increased awareness of the sport of volleyball nationwide.
Joining the staff of the NCAA Division I institution located in Lincoln, McKnight is responsible for all aspects of media relations for the 2006 national champion volleyball team and the perennial-power Husker baseball team. McKnight has served for several years as the “voice” of the Husker volleyball program, handling the media needs of the volleyball crazed state and the Huskers’ national following. He also served as the content manager for the athletic department Web site, www.Huskers.com. Additionally, McKnight has devoted much time and planning and has served as the media coordinator for the Runza/AVCA College Volleyball Showcase, which has been held in Omaha, Neb. for two of the past three years and will serve as host site for the showcase through 2010, as well as the NCAA Championship in 2006 and 2008.
“Shamus is one of the most dedicated, hard working, and passionate sports information directors in the country, “ remarked Nebraska head coach John Cook. “Our team loves him and appreciates all of his effort and caring attitude toward our players. Shamus handles the media constituents in a very professional manner that generates a high level of respect for his work. Being the SID for Nebraska Volleyball has grown into a major assignment over the last couple of years, and Shamus has helped take our program to a new level.”
A list of the NCAA SID Region Honorees for the AVCA Grand Burger Media Award is listed below.
NCAA Division I Sports Information Director Region Honorees
- Central Region: Shamus McKnight, University of Nebraska
- East Region: Stephen Gorchov, Hofstra University
- Mideast Region: Jen Armson, Penn State University
- Midwest Region: Kevin Britton, Eastern Kentucky University
- Northeast Region: Bill Thomas, University of Dayton
- Pacific Region: Jason Pommier, University of Southern California
- South Region: Sean Cartell, University of Kentucky
- West Region: Jeffrey Seals, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
NCAA Division II Women’s Sports Information Director Region Honorees
- Atlantic Region: Tom Byrnes, California University (Pa.)
- Great Lakes Region: Brad Monastiere, Hillsdale College
- North Central Region: Josh Deer, Concordia-St. Paul University
- Northeast Region: Richard Lipe, Bentley College
- Pacific Region: Paul Madison, Western Washington University
- South Region: David Sherwood, Wingate University
- South Central Region: Eric SanInocencio, Gulf South Conference
- Southwest Region: Trey Reed, Midwestern State University
NCAA Division III Women’s Sports Information Director Region Honorees
- Central Region: Vincent Novicki, Washington University in St. Louis
- Great Lakes Region: Ryan Maurer, Wittenberg University
- Mid-Atlantic Region: Kyle Leach, Swarthmore College
- Midwest Region: Tom Fick, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
- New England Region: Mindy Brauer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- New York Region: Robin Jonathan Deutsch, Vassar College
- South Region: Douglas Blair, Emory University
- West Region: Blake Timm, Pacific University (Ore.)
NCAA Division I-II Men’s Sports Information Director Region Honorees
- EIVA: Jen Armson, Penn State University
- MIVA: D.C. Koehl, The Ohio State University/Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
- MPSF: Roger Horne, Pepperdine University
NCAA Division III Men’s Sports Information Director Region Honorees
- EIVA: Brian Magoffin, Springfield College
- NECVA: Ira Thor, New Jersey City University/North Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Association
- Midwest-III: Brian Gibboney, Milwaukee School of Engineering
NAIA Sports Information Director Honoree
- Chris Meyers, University of Virginia at Wise