Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Dec. 13, 2018 – The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its Excellence in Communications Awards for the 2018 cross country season, as North Central College sports information graduate assistant Emily Zadny '17/M '19 earned the award for NCAA Division III after serving as the primary contact for men's and women's cross country this season.

The Excellence in Communications Award recognizes those athletics communications representatives at conferences and/or schools who have committed to outstanding coverage and support of collegiate cross country.  Winners were selected by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff after a nomination period submitted by the head coaches, with only one individual from each of the three NCAA divisions selected.

Zadny, in her second full year as a sports information graduate assistant, went above and beyond in spreading the word about each of the men's and women's programs, both of whom were ranked nationally at one point this season.

"This is certainly a well-deserved honor," said sports information director Clark Teuscher. "While Emily would be quick to point out that providing coverage for such successful programs is a team effort, she was the one on the front lines in the key moments when sound judgment and keen instincts are paramount. It's exciting to see such diligent work and commitment to excellence be rewarded this way."

Throughout the season, Zadny wrote in-depth race recaps and included video interviews with star athletes from those meets. Zadny used the Adobe Spark platform to truly bring her words – and North Central's programs – to life and collaborated well with graphic designers in the athletic department to stand out on social media. She also provided on-site coverage of the Cardinals' entire postseason run from the CCIW Championships to the NCAA Championships in Winneconne, Wisconsin, which ended with them capturing yet another NCAA team title.

"Emily was a pleasure to work with throughout the fall term," said head men's cross country coach and USTFCCCA Hall of Famer Al Carius (H) '16. "Her professionalism and skill in the field of sports information makes her an excellent candidate for the Excellence in Communications Award. I cannot think of anyone more deserving than Emily."

This season marked the sixth time in the last eight years that North Central has won the Division III Cross Country National Championship. It is also the 19th time in school history that the program has held the championship trophy (1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) and is the 37th national championship won by North Central overall.  Additionally, Dhruvil Patel earned the individual national title, the first for a Cardinal since Tim McCoskey '01 in 2000.