Kansas City, MO – After playing a crucial role in covering all 28 sports that the University of the Cumberlands offers student-athletes, as well as playing a pivotal role in numerous Conference and National Championships for the MSC, AAC, and the NAIA, UC's Assistant Athletic Director Tommy Chasanoff has been selected as the recipient of the 2023-2024 NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year, NAIA officials announced Monday afternoon. 
 
"It's incredible for our terrific Sports Information Department to be recognized by our peers with this monumental achievement," said Chasanoff.  "This a testament to my fantastic staff Brandon Hensley, Abigail Fleming, Briley Lawson, and Jared Kilgore, who have worked tirelessly throughout the year to promote the Patriots teams and student-athletes in what was an historic year for Cumberlands."
 
Chasanoff becomes just the second SID in NAIA history to garnered NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year multiple times, as he earned these prestigious honors back in 2020 as well.
 
"This past year had some of my best professional moments like covering UC women's soccer capturing their first NAIA National Championship and being there for women's basketball's run to the NAIA Fab Four. What makes these and so many other moments special is our incredible student-athletes and coaches.  I'm very grateful for our amazing administration led by President Cockrum and Athletic Director Chris Kraftick," added Chasanoff.
 
The Patriots are coming off their most successful athletic season in the history of the institution, earning the school's first NACDA Learfield Directors' Cup with an NAIA division record of 985.5 points. Chasanoff's dedication to the coverage of Patriots athletics can be seen at live events, online through www.cumberlandspatriots.com, and on social media. UC's website has cleared over two million pageviews mark for the second consecutive year, topping out at a school record 2.2 million views throughout the 2023-2024 season.
 
"We're thrilled for Tommy winning this tremendous honor," said Patriots Athletic Director Chris Kraftick. "His dedication to his craft and inspiring work ethic should be admired. Tommy is a wonderful representative of Cumberlands, the NAIA, and the CSC."
 
Additionally, Chasanoff and the Patriots Sports Information Department has been instrumental in recognizing student-athletes for awards at both the conference and national level.  During the 2023-24 season, UC set school records with 177 Conference Players of the Week and 361 Academic All-Conference selections, while having 17 student-athletes earn NAIA Player of the Week honors.  In Chasanoff's time at Cumberlands, UC has garnered 110 NAIA Players of the Week, 884 Conference Players of the Week, and 86 CSC Academic All-America with six CSC Team Members of the Year.
 
Outside of the work he does at Cumberlands, Chasanoff plays multiple roles across the athletic communications field. Recently, he has been elevated to President of NAIA-SIDA after spending the last year as the First Vice President. He also serves as the Chair of the CSC Membership Recognition Committee, is a member of the NAIA's National Administrative Council and the CSC Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
 
Over the 2023-24 athletic year, Cumberlands hosted five NAIA Opening Rounds and eight conference championships. In addition to those events, Tommy served as the NAIA Media Coordinator at the Men's Lacross Invitational and the Men's & Women's NAIA Swimming & Diving Championships, marking the eighth straight year that he has worked those championships.
 
Tommy adds this honor to his belt to go along with numerous awards over his time in sports information. Chasanoff is now a two-time NAIA SID of the Year, four-time MSC SID of the Year, a 2023 CSC Rising Star recipient, and has earned countless NAIA-SIDA publication awards, most recently placing first for his game program and motion graphic with video embedded. Cumberlands garnered 13 top-10 awards in the contest this year, marking the fifth-straight season that Chasanoff and his staff earned double digits.
 
Chasanoff will be officially recognized at the NAIA Convention April 3^rd-7^th in San Diego, CA.
 
What People Are Saying:

"The work Tommy has done for all the programs at UC is the very best in the nation, all divisions. He is a tireless advocate for all sports and an incredible ambassador for not only the University of the Cumberlands but also the NAIA and the College Sports Communicators. We have been so fortunate to have Tommy work with our program and be a strong advocate for the sport of Swimming & Diving."
– Swimming & Diving Coach Eric Skelly

"In my 39 years of being a collegiate head basketball coach, Tommy Chasanoff is one of the most professional and hardworking SID's I have ever dealt with. Our fans, coaching staff, and players are so appreciative of the job Tommy does and our university and athletic department are lucky to have him. Tommy is well deserving of this award, and I am so happy for him." – Women's Basketball Coach Rick Reeves

"Tommy exemplifies what all SID's should strive for in representing their university.  He holds a very high standard, leads his staff by example, and represents his university well.  Tommy also is a great asset to the Mid-South Conference in assisting with five of our Championships." - Mid-South Conference Commissioner Eric Leach
 
 
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