Moschetti & Wrath Earn Excellence in Communications Awards
NEW ORLEANS – Mark Moschetti of Seattle Pacific and Dave Wrath of Augustana (Ill.) have been named the 2015 winners of the Excellence in Communications Award for track & field in NCAA Divisions II and III, respectively.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Moschetti and Wrath as the winners Monday.
Launched in 2014, the USTFCCCA Excellence in Communications Award recognizes the efforts of athletics communications representatives at schools and conferences who have committed themselves to excellent coverage and support of collegiate track & field.
Jake Most of Kentucky was named the NCAA Division I honoree prior to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Moschetti and Wrath are both mainstays at their respective athletic departments who have long championed track & field in the coverage of their schools’ sports.
Moschetti, the assistant sports information director at SPU, consistently produces some of the most engaging, well-written, and informative coverage of collegiate track & field in the country – regardless of NCAA division.
“In my 35 years in the sports information business, including the last 15 at the conference level, I’ve never seen anyone provide the in-depth coverage for track and field that Seattle Pacific assistant SID Mark Moschetti does,” 2014 Excellence in Communications honoree Bob Guptill wrote in a nomination. Guptill is the information director for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, of which Seattle Pacific is a member.
Many of Moschetti’s previews and recaps read like mini-features. They not only inform the reader about upcoming or recently completed meets, but also tell a story about an athlete or athletes involved in the competition. Many are often interwoven with video interviews with coaches and athletes, allowing the fans to get an inside perspective of the competition.
For the more dedicated SPU track & field fans and the local media, Moschetti also assembles a weekly packet of interesting and timely notes. These packets include specific information on when and how to follow the weekend’s meet(s), historical information, 2015 team performance lists and a section entitled “Falcon Fodder” that delves even deeper into the backstories of SPU athletes and plotlines surrounding that weekend’s competition.
Wrath has been the sports information director at Augustana since 1981—just a year after he graduated from Augie. As an undergraduate in Rock Island, Illinois, he ran for coach Paul Olsen’s cross country and track & field teams; he’s spent the last three-plus decades covering those teams.
His coverage of those teams includes timely and detailed recaps, and extensive and informative previews. Though we’re honoring Wrath’s coverage of Augustana track & field, he’s been honored by many other organizations for his work, including CoSIDA, which named him to its hall of fame over a decade ago.
Olsen wrote to us saying that Wrath’s “compassionate heart and creative mind” enervates his voluminous work, adding that “the time, writing proficiency, and selfless commitment necessary to gather statistics and to write the releases for just one dimension of David’s job is Herculean.”
In addition to exemplary website coverage and an active social media presence, Wrath has energetically promoted Augustana athletes for Academic All-American awards. The college is annually among the national leaders among all colleges and universities across all divisions in All-Academic honors thanks in part to Wrath’s organization and efforts.