Cream of the Crop Honored at 11th-Annual SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards

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More than 400 entries in four divisions competed for awards in five categories

The Sports Video Group (SVG) and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) came together in Atlanta to give praise to this year’s benchmarks in college-sports-video production at the 11th-annual College Sports Media Awards, sponsored by Ross Video.

More than 400 entries were submitted for consideration in five categories (Live Game Production; Live Non-Game Production; Program Series; Special Feature; and Promotion, PSA, Tease, or Marketing Campaign) across four divisions (Professional, Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies, Collegiate Athletics, and Collegiate Student). This was the first year using the Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies division as well as the Professional division, which included national networks and RSNs.

ESPN College GameDay reporter Jen Lada hosted the festivities, which concluded Day 1 of the 2019 SVG College Summit. To begin the ceremony, she noted the hard work that it takes to put on quality productions and reflected on well-deserved success.

“Tonight is all about patting ourselves on the back and patting the backs of those beside you,” she said. “It’s about recognizing how talented and terrific you all are. We sometimes need to be in multiple places at once, but, instead of its being impossible, we make it work.”

Auburn University Solidifies Reign in Live Game Production
War Eagles Productions was once again at the podium in the Omni Hotel, receiving its fourth consecutive award in the Outstanding Live Game Production category for its broadcast of the 15th-inning baseball affair vs. Arkansas.

Auburn University’s Parker Leppien represented War Eagle Productions in its fourth-straight win at the CSMAs.

“You see the group of talented individuals out here tonight and notice that we’re all doing great stuff,” said Parker Leppien, senior producer, War Eagle Productions. “It was an honor to be nominated and humbling to accept this award. We would never be able to do this without an exceptional team. At times, you get lucky in moments like that and hope to be able to capture them as it is.”

Ball State and St. Cloud State Hit Double Digits
Becoming a staple at the College Sports Media Awards, Ball State’s Ball State Sports Link and St. Cloud State’s Husky Productions each set a new high with a 10th trophy. Ball State maintained its grip on the Outstanding Special Feature category, logging its sixth win, in addition to being named Outstanding Live Non-Game Production in the Collegiate Student division.

“A lot of trust and a lot of hours went into this. I want to thank all of the students involved,” said Adrian Jarding, Ball State Sports Link, Ball State University. “There were early mornings at 7 a.m. for 10 straight days. We were all dead tired by the end of it, but it was worth it in the end.”

Patriot League’s Morgan Uber accepts the conference’s first-ever CSMA for its coverage of the 2019 Indoor Track & Field Championships.

A New Wave of Winners
Despite repeat wins by Ball State and St. Cloud State, there was a fair number of first-timers in this year’s competition. In this class are the Patriot League, Conference USA, West Coast Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, American Athletic Conference, University of Louisville, Duke University (Blue Devil Network), Colorado State University, and Palm Beach Atlantic University.

“I’m accepting this award on behalf of a great team, from everyone in the truck to everyone in front of the camera,” said Patriot League Network Correspondent Morgan Uber, whose team was recognized as Outstanding Live Game Production for the conference’s Indoor Track & Field Championship. “To think back three years ago, we didn’t even stream our track and field events. To see what it has become, it’s just incredible.”

Duke University’s Rebecca Fiorentino represents the Blue Devil Network and their accomplishment with Duke Blue Planet.

Duke University’s Social Media Notches a Victory
The buzz around Duke University prestigious Men’s Basketball program (and former player Zion Williamson) provided a wide array of content. In a selection process that encouraged material from social-media platforms, Duke’s Blue Devil Network brought home a CSMA pyramid for its efforts with Duke Blue PlanetRebecca Fiorentino, assistant director, Blue Devil Network,was in Atlanta to accept the award.

“The basketball guys that worked hard on this really deserve it,” she said. “Keep pushing the envelope with these videos because these collegiate athletes have great stories to tell.”

College Sports Media Awards winners and finalists are selected by a blue-ribbon panel of industry peers and celebrate the very best in college-sports-video production. For more information on the SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards, visit www.svgcollege.com. Stay tuned to sportsvideo.org for full video recaps and acceptance speeches from the ceremony in the coming days.

2019 SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA

OUTSTANDING LIVE GAME PRODUCTION

PROFESSIONAL
Fox Sports | Football – West Virginia vs. Texas

COLLEGIATE CONFERENCES AND GOVERNING BODIES
Patriot League | Indoor Track & Field – 2019 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championship

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Auburn University (War Eagle Productions) 
| Baseball – Auburn vs. Arkansas

COLLEGIATE STUDENT
St. Cloud State University (Husky Productions) | Men’s Ice Hockey – St. Cloud State vs. Miami (OH)

OUTSTANDING LIVE NON-GAME PRODUCTION

PROFESSIONAL
ESPN | Top 25

COLLEGIATE CONFERENCES AND GOVERNING BODIES
Conference USA 
| 2018 C-USA Bowl Preview

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
University of Louisville 
| Louisville Live

COLLEGIATE STUDENT
Ball State University (Ball State Sports Link) | NCAA Women’s Basketball Tourney Watch

OUTSTANDING PROGRAM SERIES

PROFESSIONAL
Pac-12 Networks | Our Stories

COLLEGIATE CONFERENCES AND GOVERNING BODIES
West Coast Conference (TheW.tv) | WCC All-Access: Season 2

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Duke University (Blue Devil Network) |
 Duke Blue Planet

COLLEGIATE STUDENT
Ryerson University 
| #TheJourneyTo – The Road to Nationals

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL FEATURE

PROFESSIONAL
ESPN/SEC Network | Dive To Survive

COLLEGIATE CONFERENCES AND GOVERNING BODIES
Atlantic Coast Conference | ACC Game Changers: ClemsonLife

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
University of Notre Dame (Fighting Irish Media) 
| Remember When (Green Nails)

COLLEGIATE STUDENT
Palm Beach Atlantic University | ARKADY

OUTSTANDING PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS: HYPE, OPEN, TEASE, PSA, OR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

PROFESSIONAL
ESPN | Clemson–Alabama Round 4 Tease

COLLEGIATE CONFERENCES AND GOVERNING BODIES
American Athletic Conference
 | American Men’s Basketball Championship Documentary Trailer

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
University of Notre Dame (Fighting Irish Media)
 | Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Intro – Rise Together

COLLEGIATE STUDENT
Colorado State University | 2018-19 Colorado State Men’s Basketball Trailer