BEST IN THE NATION - Athletic Communications office leads country at CSC Creative and Digital Design Contest

Full results

LAS VEGAS – Carson-Newman's Athletic Communications office raked in a record-setting 45 awards in the College Sports Communicators Creative and Digital Design Contest, the organization announced Wednesday

The 45 honors are the most among NCAA Division II institutions and the most among any school or organization in the contest results. The Eagles finished 15 recognitions clear of Lenoir-Rhyne's 30 and 16 ahead of the University of Oklahoma's 29. Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne were the only two institutions to reach 30 honors.

The competition is divided into University Division, featuring exclusively Division I schools, and College Division, featuring NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, Canadian institutions, two-year colleges and high schools. 

Every member of the athletic communications office (Cavalier, Andrew Rogers, Ian Johnson, Jay West, Rheanna DeCrow and Matt Scalzo) had a hand in an award-winning piece of content, while video freelanceer CJ Newton and Carson-Newman Marketing and Brand Manager and university photographer Kris Wysong were also recognized.  

"I am gobsmacked," Associate AD for Athletic Communications/External Operations Adam Cavalier said. "To see Carson-Newman's name at the top of this list is special, but the more meaningful part is how it happened. This wasn't one piece of content or one person carrying the day. Ian, Andrew, CJ, Rhea, Matt, Jay and Kris all had their hands on nationally-recognized work. The range of what this office produced, and its collaborative nature — from video to publications to graphics to photography to game notes — speaks to a department that cares deeply about telling Carson-Newman's Christ-centered stories well."

The office had one entry named best in the College Division and four entries named Best of Division II. The Eagles led both counts, with 22 College Division honors and 23 Best of Division II honors.

Carson-Newman's five first-place finishes came across four different categories.  C-N's four best of Division II honors are also the most for the Division in front of Embry-Riddle's three.  

Cavalier's football gameday program for the Eagles' matchup with Lenoir-Rhyne swept the Programs category, winning both the College Division and Best of Division II honors. It marked Carson-Newman's lone overall College Division win and one of its four Best of Division II victories.

The Eagles also earned Best of Division II wins in Hype/Pre-Game Videos, Long Form Videos/Recaps/Features and Short Form Videos/Reels.

Cavalier and Johnson's 13th Annual Frosty Awards Hype Opener took the top spot in Division II for Hype/Pre-Game Videos after finishing fifth in the overall College Division.  It also finished fourth in Video of the Year. Cavalier and Newton's football cinematic recap from the Lenoir-Rhyne game won Best of Division II in Long Form Videos/Recaps/Features and placed second overall in the College Division. Newton's women's basketball recap from the Eagles' win over Tusculum was named Best of Division II in Short Form Videos/Reels.

In all, Carson-Newman collected five first-place finishes, 14 top-three placements, 24 top-five finishes and 36 top-10 recognitions between College Division and Best of Division II honors.

The office was especially prolific in video, accounting for 25 video-related honors.

The Long Form Videos/Recaps/Features category was one of the Eagles' deepest. Carson-Newman collected 10 honors in that category alone. Cavalier and Newton's football Lenoir-Rhyne recap finished second in the College Division and first in Division II. Their men's basketball UVA Wise recap was fifth in the College Division and second in Division II, while their men's basketball LMU recap finished 13th in the College Division and fifth in Division II.

Ian Johnson and Rheanna DeCrow added a fourth-place Best of Division II finish and 12th-place College Division honor for their volleyball SAC Quarterfinal recap against UVA Wise. Johnson and Rogers also picked up Best of Division II honors for a women's soccer rivalry game recap against Tusculum and baseball cinematic from the Tusculum series.

Newton led Carson-Newman's short-form charge, placing three women's basketball recaps in both the College Division and Best of Division II sections. His Tusculum, Coker and Anderson women's basketball videos finished one-two-three in Division II, while also taking ninth, 10th and 15th in the College Division.

C-N also had a strong showing in Special Projects - Video. The entire staff's production of the 13th annual Frosty Awards placed fourth in the College Division and second in Division II, while Johnson's football baptisms feature finished sixth in the College Division and third in Division II.

The office continued its traditional strength in game notes, earning 11 honors in the category. Cavalier's men's basketball notes against Lenoir-Rhyne finished fourth in the College Division and third in Division II. Rogers' baseball notes against Lenoir-Rhyne were fifth in the College Division and fourth in Division II.

Rogers added additional recognition for women's basketball notes against Grand Valley State in the NCAA Tournament and women's soccer notes against Anderson in the SAC Tournament. DeCrow also earned College Division recognition for volleyball notes against Tusculum. In the Best of Division II section, Carson-Newman claimed four of the top seven spots in Game Notes. DeCrow was named best of graduate assistants/interns for the game notes category.  

Carson-Newman also had individuals factor in in the portfolio categories for the first time ever. Newton finished second in the College Division and second in Best of Division II for Videographer of the Year. Wysong added an eighth-place Best of Division II finish in Photographer of the Year.

Carson-Newman's graphic design work also earned recognition across several categories. Johnson's Blair Cherry 2,500 career assists graphic finished 10th in the College Division and fifth in Division II in Individual Awards, Milestones & Record Graphics. Cavalier's Jack Browder 2,000 career points graphic finished 14th in Division II in the same category.

Cavalier added a 20th-place College Division and 14th-place Division II honor in Major Awards & Championship Graphics for Browder's CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year graphic. Cavalier and Johnson also earned Best of Division II recognition in Game Day Graphics for football's pregame graphic for the Newberry game.

By contribution line, Cavalier had a hand in 17 honors, Newton in 14, Johnson in 12, Rogers in nine, DeCrow in four and Wysong, Scalzo and West in one. 

Cavalier's career total now sits at 62. Johnson moves up to 32, Newton to 24 and Rogers to 13 career honors.  

This marks a sixth straight year Carson-Newman has finished inside the top 10 nationally for the most awards in Division II and the second straight year the Eagles have led Division II. This is the first time the office has led the whole country and all divisions. 

These accolades bring the department's overall national awards total to 143 from CSC, formerly CoSIDA, in the last 10 years.

The awards touched six different sports at Carson-Newman.  Both men's and women's basketball had content that was recognized nine times a piece.  Football followed with eight. After that, volleyball checked in with five, while baseball and women's soccer each had three apiece.  

For the third consecutive year, the contest set a record for participation with an 18.7% increase from the previous year with a total of 2,565 entries. 980 entries came from the University Division while 1,585 entries came from College Division institutions. 14 of the 17 contest categories saw an increase in participation year over year, while the Portfolio Contests combined for 173 entries. Over the last three years, the contest has experienced an overall increase of nearly 170% from 957 entries in 2023-24. 

Nearly 270 institutions and conference offices were among the participants this year, with more than 650 total individuals having been named on an entry. A total of 456 places were recognized in the overall contest results while 490 entries garnered "Best Of" honors for each level in the College Division as well as for Graduate Assistants, Interns and Student Workers. 980 entries made up the 17 contests in the University Division composed exclusively of Division I institutions. The College Division was headlined by Division II with 711 total entries followed by Division III with 541, the NAIA with 246, Canadian Institutions with 27 and two-year colleges with 22.

The number of places awarded for each contest was determined by the number of entries in each category. For the College Division, "Best Of" honors were bestowed upon the top finishers from each subdivision also based on the number of entries received.

Carson-Newman's complete list of honors follows:

Photographer of the Year
Best of Division II
8. Kris Wysong, Carson-Newman University

Videographer of the Year
College Division
2. C.J. Newton, Carson-Newman University

Best of Division II
2. C.J. Newton, Carson-Newman University

Video of the Year
College Division
4. Adam Cavalier and Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – 13th Annual Frosty Awards Hype Opener

Hype/Pre-Game Videos
College Division
5. Adam Cavalier and Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – 13th Annual Frosty Awards Hype Opener

Best of Division II

1. Adam Cavalier and Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – 13th Annual Frosty Awards Hype Opener

Long Form Videos/Recaps/Features
College Division
2. Adam Cavalier & CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – FB Lenoir-Rhyne Recap
5. Adam Cavalier & CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – MBB UVA Wise Recap
12. Ian Johnson & Rheanna DeCrow, Carson-Newman University – VB SAC Quarterfinal Recap
13. Adam Cavalier & CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – MBB LMU Recap

Best of Division II

1. Adam Cavalier & CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – FB Lenoir-Rhyne Recap
2. Adam Cavalier & CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – MBB UVA Wise Recap
3. Ian Johnson & Rheanna DeCrow, Carson-Newman University – VB SAC Quarterfinal Recap
4. Adam Cavalier & CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – MBB LMU Recap
5. Ian Johnson & Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – WSOC Rivalry Game Recap
6. Ian Johnson & Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – BSB Tusculum Highlights

Short Form Videos/Reels
College Division
9. CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – WBB vs. Tusculum Video Recap
10. CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – WBB vs. Coker Video Recap
15. CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – WBB vs. Anderson Recap Video

Best of Division II

1. CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – WBB vs. Tusculum Video Recap
2. CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – WBB vs. Coker Video Recap
3. CJ Newton, Carson-Newman University – WBB vs. Anderson Recap Video

Game Day Graphics
Best of Division II
20. Adam Cavalier & Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – FB vs. Newberry

Individual Awards, Milestones & Record Graphics
College Division
10. Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – VB Blair Cherry 2,500 Career Assists

Best of Division II
5. Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – VB Blair Cherry 2,500 Career Assists
14. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – Jack Browder 2,000 Career Points

Major Awards & Championship Graphics
College Division
20. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – MBB Browder CSC AAA of the Year

Best of Division II
14. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – MBB Browder CSC AAA of the Year

Game Notes
College Division
4. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – MBB vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
5. Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – BSB notes vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
7. Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – WBB notes vs. Grand Valley NCAA Tournament
8. Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – WBB notes vs. Grand Valley NCAA Tournament
10. Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – WSOC notes vs. Anderson SAC Tournament
13. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – FB vs. Newberry
15. Rheanna DeCrow, Carson-Newman University – VB notes vs. Tusculum

Best of Division II
3. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – MBB vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
4. Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – BSB notes vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
6. Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – WBB notes vs. Grand Valley NCAA Tournament
7. Andrew Rogers, Carson-Newman University – WSOC notes vs. Anderson SAC Tournament

Programs
College Division

1. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – FB Gameday vs. Lenoir-Rhyne

Best of Division II

1. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman University – FB Gameday vs. Lenoir-Rhyne

Special Projects - Video
College Division
4. Athletic Communications Staff, Carson-Newman University – The 13th Annual Frosty Awards 
6. Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – FB Baptisms

Best of Division II
2. Athletic Communications Staff, Carson-Newman University – The 13th Annual Frosty Awards 
3. Ian Johnson, Carson-Newman University – FB Baptisms