(L-R) Yarrington, Prather, Raiyn and Neipris during a break at the NACDA Convention
Department of Athletics administration attend NACDA Convention in Orlando
7/1/2023 9:00:00 AM | General
UC Santa Cruz was well represented at the recent NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) Convention held in Orlando last month.
Interim Director of Athletics Courtnie Prather and four other staff members participated in the annual event where NACDA and various affiliate organizations shared ideas and best practices for improving Athletic Departments.
Senior Compliance Officer Cayla Neipris was an attendee. A highlight for her was "kicking off my year-long ACE Mentorship program through NAAC. I had the opportunity to connect with my mentor Justin DiTolla for the first time, and discuss some of our goals for the year." Sports Information Director Embele Awipi attended the concurrent College Sports Communicators convention. While there, he helped present on a panel entitled "Visual storytelling: Maximizing the potential of digital video in social media."
Assistant AD Brooke Yarrington went to her first NACDA event as a member of the Banana Slugs team, while Associate AD Sydne Raiyn attended her second. Some of the sessions Raiyn attended included  'Owning Your Path' from Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), and 'Student-Athlete Leadership Development' run by the National Association of Division III Administrators (NADIIIAA).
"It was great spending some time together outside of the office and gaining more insight into the challenges we face across the industry and ways we can make a greater impact on our respective campuses," Raiyn said.
Interim Director of Athletics Courtnie Prather and four other staff members participated in the annual event where NACDA and various affiliate organizations shared ideas and best practices for improving Athletic Departments.
Senior Compliance Officer Cayla Neipris was an attendee. A highlight for her was "kicking off my year-long ACE Mentorship program through NAAC. I had the opportunity to connect with my mentor Justin DiTolla for the first time, and discuss some of our goals for the year." Sports Information Director Embele Awipi attended the concurrent College Sports Communicators convention. While there, he helped present on a panel entitled "Visual storytelling: Maximizing the potential of digital video in social media."
Assistant AD Brooke Yarrington went to her first NACDA event as a member of the Banana Slugs team, while Associate AD Sydne Raiyn attended her second. Some of the sessions Raiyn attended included  'Owning Your Path' from Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), and 'Student-Athlete Leadership Development' run by the National Association of Division III Administrators (NADIIIAA).
"It was great spending some time together outside of the office and gaining more insight into the challenges we face across the industry and ways we can make a greater impact on our respective campuses," Raiyn said.
