BATON ROUGE — For the third straight year, the LSU track and field media guide has earned distinction as one of the nation’s best as it has been voted the fifth-best media guide in the nation for 2006-07 by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
This comes on the heels of the guide being ranked seventh in the country by CoSIDA during the 2005-06 season, while it was ranked third nationally in 2004-05. In addition, the guide boasts the nation’s No. 1-ranked cover this year out of 36 entries.
“The LSU track and field program strives to be the best it can be in all aspects, which includes the publications each year,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “This media guide does an outstanding job of presenting the history of LSU track and field in a unique way.
“The cover symbolizes the program philosophy of the men’s and women’s teams supporting each other as if they were one team. It’s a great representation of the recipe of success in LSU track and field, caring for each member of both teams.”
The 128-page media guide was written, compiled and edited by sports information graduate assistant Will Stafford with design and layout by publications graphic design coordinator Peter Hoang and assistance from publications student assistant Brandon Jantz. Photography for the guide was provided by staff photographer Steve Franz and Bryan Wayne.
The cover features a unique design that was created by Hoang with assistance from Stafford and Jantz. It includes a dual photo of LSU All-Americans Reggie Dardar and Kelly Baptiste kneeling in a starting position in the blocks, while highlighting the program’s 30 NCAA titles, 43 SEC titles, 112 individual NCAA champions and 220 All-American athletes in its history.
The guide is a complete source of up-to-date information on the 2006-07 team, as well as archived information and records from the distinguished 108-year history of LSU track and field. It is a source of information for media outlets and fellow sports information/media relations offices, as well as a valuable recruiting tool for coaches.
The judging is based on eight categories, including team information, season in review, program history, general information, conference information, graphics and design and editorial. The guides are critiqued by three pre-selected judges from outside organizations.
The guide, along with those of all 20 varsity sports at LSU, can be viewed online at www.LSUsports.net. The awards will be presented at the CoSIDA annual convention in San Diego in July. CoSIDA is an organization designed to empower Sports Information Directors across the country in their roles as sports information professionals.
Men’s Track & Field Media Guides / Division A (36 entries)
1. Tennessee (Derek Satterfield)
2. Nebraska (Andy Anderson, Megan McLaughlin)
3. Washington (Brian Beaky, Mike Sayenko, Jonathan Soriano)
4. Florida (Mike Vietti, Mary Howard, Heidi Johnson)
5. LSU (Will Stafford, Peter Hoang, Brandon Jantz)
6. Clemson (Philip Sikes)
Best Cover: LSU (Will Stafford, Peter Hoang, Brandon Jantz)