By: UC Sports Information
Kansas City, MO – For over a decade, Cumberlands athletics has transcended into one of the premier programs in the NAIA, and after another record-setting year of national recognition, the University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Department has been named the recipient of the 2025-26 NAIA-SIDA Spitler Award for Excellence in Publications, as announced during the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Convention, Monday afternoon.
"The Spitler Award is one of the highest honors an athletic communications department can receive in the NAIA, and I couldn't be prouder of the entire Sports Information staff for earning this recognition," said Director of Athletics Chris Kraftick. "Our student-athletes and coaches continue to achieve remarkable success on the field, and this staff does an outstanding job of telling those stories and showcasing Cumberlands Athletics on a national level. This award reflects the commitment to excellence that exists throughout our department, and it is a well-deserved honor for a group that consistently goes above and beyond in serving our programs and promoting the Patriots and #OneBigTeam."
The honor recognizes the top overall athletic communications department in the NAIA based on performance in the annual NAIA-SIDA Publications and Media Contest. Cumberlands earned the award for the second time in program history after accumulating 24 top-10 national finishes across 11 NAIA-SIDA Publication and Media contest during the 2025-26 academic year, including a program record four first-place finishes.
"Earning the NAIA-SIDA Spitler Award is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the dedication, creativity, and professionalism our entire sports information staff brings every day," said Associate Athletic Director
Tommy Chasanoff. "This achievement is the result of a team effort, and I'm proud of the work our staff (
Brandon Hensley,
Jared Kilgore,
Quin Smith,
Mia Reid, CJ Gilbert, and
Ashton Clayburn, as well as our student workers) have put in throughout the year to promote and celebrate the success of Patriot Athletics."
Cumberlands earned the top spot in Season Preview, Motion Graphic (video embedded), & Motion Graphic (Gifs). Kilgore's "
2025 UC Football Preview" and Chasanoff's "
Women's Swimming & Diving Continuing to Build" tied for the top spot in the Season Preview category. It marks the first time that the Patriots garnered the top honor in this category. Chasanoff earned a second top-five finish in season preview category as his "2026 Women's Lacrosse Season Preview" placed fifth.
The Patriots notched first place finishes in both Motion Graphic categories as Chasanoff & Hensley teamed up for "Ashlee Baker's NAIA Offensive Player of the Week" graphic. UC took three of the top four sports in that category as their "Lenora DeVries NAIA Defensive Player of the Week" earned a runner-up finish, while "Ruthiik Satti's 100 back national title", which was designed by Gilbert finished fourth.
UC swept the top-three spots in the Motion Graphic (Gifs) category as Edwin Van Wyk garnered the honors for his women's soccer goal and save graphics. Carola Fontan's goal Gif took the top spot, while Morgan White's save graphic finished second ahead of Abagail Little's goal graphic.
Reid notched a pair of top-five finishes for her Gameday Graphics as her graphics for men's soccer and softball finished tied for third. The men's soccer graphic was ahead of UC's MSC semifinal against Cumberland, while her softball graphic was for Grace Ross capturing MSC Player of the Week after a strong week at the plate.
Cumberlands captured a trio of top-10 finishes in the "Season Highlights" category led by Hensley's 2025 football season hype video. Nate Power's Track & Field video from the first day of the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships placed eight, while RJ Conroy's season highlights of the Patriots cheerleading team placed ninth.
UC posted three top-10 finishes for the "Best Splash Page," all of which honored incredible accomplishments for Cumberlands Athletics. The MSC Winter Sport President's Cup standing was the top finisher coming in fourth place. Patriots Capture NAIA Learfield Director's Cup edged out the MSC Fall Sport President's Cup standing for fifth place.
Cumberlands final top five finish came from Chasanoff for his "Game Recap" of the Patriots women's soccer NAIA quarterfinal win over John Brown, in which Nicole Araujo scored the game-winning goal in the 89'. He followed that up with a ninth place finish for his women's lacrosse recap of the Patriots capturing the AAC Tournament title.
Powers added a pair of top-10 finishes in the game highlight division. His men's basketball highlights from Cumberlands win over #18 Georgetown at home placed seventh, while Powers men's wrestling highlights from the Patriots win over #7 Campbellsville earned tenth place.
The Patriots earned ninth place for their athletic website (www.cumberlandspatriots.com). This year, Cumberlands continued to utilize a streamlined approach through their website making it a one-stop shop for viewers. UC has continued to see an increase in traffic to the website every year and for the fourth straight year surpassed two million page views.
UC had two more ninth place finishes to round out their top-10 honorees. Hensley garnered ninth place for "Call of the Year" for his call of Grace Ross breaking the single season homerun record. Kilgore and Van Wyk teamed up on the Men's Basketball schedule poster which also garnered a ninth place finish.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter - @UC_Patriots, Instagram - @UCPatriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.
What People are Saying:
"As someone who works closely with our Sports Information Office throughout every season, I get to see the amount of effort, creativity, and heart they put into their work each day. They are an incredible in helping us create a great experience for our student-athletes, coaches, and fans, and they consistently go above and beyond. I'm thrilled to see them recognized with the Spitler Award because no one is more deserving. Their commitment to excellence has a tremendous impact on our department and on the way our stories are shared." –
Christie Brewers, Associate Athletic Director Game Operations & Corporate/Community Engagement
"This award is a reflection of the pride, passion, and hard work our entire Sports Information office pours into everything we do. We take great pride and responsibility in telling the stories of our student-athletes, coaches, and programs, and being recognized for that work is truly an honor. Our goal has always been to raise the standard for communications departments, not only within the NAIA, but across all of college athletics." –
Jared Kilgore, Assistant Sports Information Director
"I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the University of the Cumberlands for winning the Gary Spitler Award. This honor is the pinnacle of creative excellence within the NAIA, and securing it is a testament to their athletic communications department's exceptional standard of work. By winning four individual publication contests, and placing top-10 in 24 of them, this year, the Cumberlands' communications team has demonstrated incredible versatility, dedication, and talent. Their ability to consistently capture and elevate the stories of their student-athletes sets the standard for athletic communications nationwide, and I congratulate them on this phenomenal achievement." –
Colena Lord, Director of Athletic Communication at SCAD Savannah
"Receiving this award is a great honor and a testament the effort our Sports Information staff puts in every day. We take a lot of pride in representing our student-athletes, coaches, and university through the stories we tell and the content we create. This recognition reflects the commitment of our entire department to excellence and our desire to continue raising the bar for athletic communications." –
Quin Smith, Assistant Sports Information Director
Cumberlands Top-Ten Honors:
1st – Season Preview – 2025 UC Football Preview – Jared Kilgore
1st – Season Preview – Women's Swimming & Diving Continuing to Build – Tommy Chasanoff
1st – Motion Graphic (Video embedded) – Ashlee Baker NAIA Offensive Player of the Week (Women's Lacrosse) – Tommy Chasanoff & Brandon Hensley
1st – Motion Graphic (Gifs) – Carola Fontan Goal Gif (Women's Soccer) – Edwin Van Wyk
2nd – Motion Graphic (Video embedded) – Lenora DeVries NAIA Defensive Player of the Week (Women's Lacrosse) – Tommy Chasanoff & Brandon Hensley
2nd – Motion Graphic (Gifs) – Morgan White Save Gif (Women's Soccer) – Edwin Van Wyk
3rd – Infographics (Gameday) – Softball – Mia Reid
3rd – Infographics (Gameday) – Men's Soccer – Mia Reid
3rd – Motion Graphic (Gifs) – Abigail Little Goal Gif (Women's Soccer) – Edwin Van Wyk
4th – Season Highlights – Football – Brandon Hensley
4th – Game Recaps – Araujo's Goal in 89' Propels #13 Patriots into NAIA Semifinals – Tommy Chasanoff
4th – Motion Graphic (Video embedded) – Ruthiik Satti capture 100 back national title (Men's Swimming) – CJ Arledge & Tommy Chasanoff
4th – Best Splash Page – Winter Sports President's Cup Standings – Tommy Chasanoff
5th – Best Splash Page – Patriots Capture NAIA's Learfield Director's Cup – Jared Kilgore
5th – Season Preview – 2026 Women's Lacrosse Season Preview – Tommy Chasanoff
6th – Best Splash Page – Fall Sports President's Cup Standings – Jared Kilgore
7th – Game Highlights – Men's Basketball – Nate Powers
8th – Season Highlights – Track & Field – Nate Powers
9th – Website – Cumberlands Sports Information
9th – Sport Posters – Men's Basketball – Jared Kilgore & Edwin Van Wyk
9th – Game Recaps – Patriots Capture 2026 AAC Tournament Title with 15-4 Victory – Tommy Chasanoff
9th – Season Highlights – Cheerleading – RJ Conroy
9th – Call of the Year – Grace Ross Breaks Single Season Homerun Record (Softball) – Brandon Hensley
10th – Game Highlights – Men's Wrestling – Nate Powers
