UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A quartet of Penn State programs have been selected as finalists for the 2018 Sports Video Group (SVG) College Sports Media Awards in association with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
Two Penn State events are among the six finalists in the National Networks Live Game Production category — the men’s basketball victory over Ohio State in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament (BTN) and last fall’s Penn State at Ohio State football game (Fox). Penn State and Ohio State are the only institutions with multiple finalist entries in the National Networks Live Game Production category.
In the Outstanding Program Series category, the Nittany Lions also have two finalists. In the Collegiate Athletics division, WPSU Penn State’s "Unrivaled: The Penn State Football Story" is among the eight finalists. The behind-the-scenes program airs weekly during the football season on television affiliates across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic.
In the division that includes regional sports networks and production companies, Awesome Films has been selected as a finalist for "The Penn State Hockey Story." The behind-the-scenes program chronicling the men’s hockey program is available online during the hockey season.
In addition, the Penn State StudentU production of the Penn State vs. Buffalo wrestling dual meet was nominated for CSMA consideration by the BTN in the Student Produced Live Game Production category.
“We have a very successful relationship with WPSU and Awesome Films,” said Jim Nachtman, assistant athletic director for media and video production. “Our collaboration results in compelling content that’s a valuable resource for our teams and enjoyed by our fans while also recognized in the industry as amongst the best feature programming that is being produced.”
The winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced May 31 at the ninth annual College Sports Media Awards at the SVG College Summit in Atlanta.
Representing a variety of college athletic and academic departments, as well as professional networks, production companies, and student productions, the finalists are spread across four divisions in a total of 20 categories.
For a complete listing of all the 2018 CSMA finalists, visit sportsvideo.org.
Penn State, No. 3 in the most recent Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). Nittany Lion students have an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 90 percent and have captured 50 NCAA championships all-time (78 national championships overall) and 107 Big Ten championships or tournament titles since capturing their first crown in 1992-93.