UCF Athletics Staff Led by Four First-Place Finishes at NCAA NACDA ConventionUCF Athletics Staff Led by Four First-Place Finishes at NCAA NACDA Convention

UCF Athletics Staff Led by Four First-Place Finishes at NCAA NACDA Convention

by Ryan Ladika

ORLANDO – UCF Athletics made history with the school’s inaugural 2023-24 school year as a member of the Big 12 Conference. With the jump to a new league, the teams’ content creators and staff earned well-deserved recognition as well, rising to the occasion alongside the programs they covered and worked with.

The Knights were well-represented in the final selections in national award contests sponsored by professional organizations College Sports Communicators (CSC), National Association of Athletic Ticket Sales and Operations (NAATSO) and National Association of College Marketing Administrators (NACMA), and UCF was the only FBS school in the nation to be represented as finalists by all three organizations as well.

PHOTO OF THE YEAR – BEST IN THE NATION (UNIVERSITY DIVISION) – CONOR KVATEK

One of the highest-profile sports on the collegiate landscape, the UCF football team wasted no time giving Knights staff photographer Conor Kvatek memorable moments to capture in the program’s first game as a member of its new conference.

Kvatek’s photo of football wide receiver Xavier Townsend’s touchdown celebration from UCF’s season-opening 56-6 victory over Kent State claimed the top spot in the CSC’s Photo of the Year category.

“I was a little bewildered, being that we had just finished talking about the whole process with some of my coworkers,” Kvatek recalled. “Bewilderment quickly turned to astonishment, which quickly turned into happiness. I take a lot of pride in my work, so to see other people appreciate what I do and look at it the same way that I do is really cool, and I enjoy that.”

FB_CK__083123_19104504Xavier Townsend | Photo by: Conor Kvatek

“I grew up with UCF, I’ve been here since I was a young kid and I’ve watched this place grow,” Kvatek continued. “It’s given me a lot of memories and moments that I really appreciate and have helped me grow as a person. To be able to give UCF something, whether that’s my photography or helping student-athletes and tell their stories, that’s something very rewarding for me.”

SIGNING DAY PACKAGE – BEST IN THE NATION (UNIVERSITY DIVISION) – ROBERT CONNOLLY AND ALEX GARMON

Accompanying the UCF football team’s on-field exploits, the program needed a unique and captivating look to showcase the future of the squad on social media.

Robert Connolly and Alex Garmon, designer and intern, respectively, with UCF #Content, went above and beyond in creating a motion graphics package for football’s 2023 signing day, and were rewarded with the CSC’s recognition of best signing day package in the nation.

“It was awesome to hear. Alex and I collaborated on the package with the motion design, he did the motion design part of it with the rollercoasters going to the still graphic that I created,” Connolly said. “I was really happy with the way the whole package came out. We really dove into both sides of the brand, one side being SpaceU and the other side being the rollercoasters and the beach setting.”

“When we were drafting up the whole project, we wanted to do something unique, and something next-level that hasn’t been done before. Seeing that recognition prove that we were able to do that was pretty cool,” Garmon said. “It was awesome to be able to work on such a high-caliber project for a rising sports organization like UCF.”

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR (PORTFOLIO) – BEST IN THE NATION (UNIVERSITY DIVISION) – AVA BURIC

The third first-place finish for UCF’s #Content team, Buric’s work highlighting the Knights’ first year in the Big 12 was visible both online and across campus. She started with football gameday posters for social media and ended up seeing her illustrations on various walls in FBC Mortgage Stadium and illustrating the sides of a bus that frequents the campus.

“To celebrate UCF’s induction into the Big 12 Conference, I was in charge of conceptualizing and designing an illustration campaign across the school’s campus and the brand’s social media,” Buric said. “My primary inspiration came from vintage college mascot ‘family portraits’ and retro, slapstick-filled mascot gameday illustrations from the 60s and 70s.”

“For me, it was extremely exciting to be recognized on a national level, especially because not many other big college schools like us feature illustration work,” Buric continued. “It was nice that it stood out among the competition. It’s satisfying because it’s helping UCF stand out on a more national level, and I have a helping hand in that.”

NAATSO TICKET TEAM OF THE YEAR – BROOKE SMOLEY & TEAM

The team that plays an integral role in the raucous atmospheres and home-field advantage at each UCF home athletic event, Brooke Smoley, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Ticketing, Strategy & Analytics, and her team collectively garnered Ticket Team of the Year from NAATSO.

“We’re incredibly proud of the work our team has put in to earn this recognition, especially considering this is the first time NAATSO has ever given out this award, making our team the inaugural winner,” Smoley said. “We’re very appreciative for this recognition, one that ensured the innovation and collaboration of our team did not go unnoticed. I’m looking forward to seeing what this team can accomplish in year two in the Big 12 Conference and beyond.

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SHORT FORM VIDEOS AND REELS (SIXTH PLACE) – MEN’S TENNIS MATCH RECAP (OKLAHOMA STATE) – ERIN CABANA

The UCF men’s tennis team enjoyed a breakout season in the program’s first campaign as a member of the Big 12 Conference, and UCF #Content intern Erin Cabana was there every step of the way helping document a season that saw the team jump out to a 14-1 start, the best in program history, and finish 19-6, the ninth-best finish in program history.

One step in the journey was the Knights’ 4-3 victory over then-No. 26 Oklahoma State, and Cabana’s short-form recap placed sixth on the CSC’s recognition list.

“It means a lot to me, this is something I love doing, and I’m so thankful for everyone involved who has helped me reach this point,” Cabana said. “I’m so happy to be able to share my work and continue to grow as a person and as a creator.”

“My main goal since I started getting into video was to tell stories, and have people connect with those stories,” Cabana continued. “I’m always looking to pull emotion out of the viewers and tell stories that haven’t been told while also focusing on growing myself in what I want to do. Being recognized for this only keeps inspiring me to keep going and pushing me to reach my new goals.”

LONG FORM VIDEOS AND RECAPS (8TH PLACE) – MEN’S BASKETBALL CINEMATIC (KANSAS) – GABE STARNER

The UCF men’s basketball team electrified the Addition Financial Arena crowd in the team’s Big 12 Conference home-opener last winter, stunning the then-No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks by a 65-60 final score Jan. 10 and proving that the Knights belonged among their new conference-mates.

UCF #Content creator Gabe Starner captured the raw emotion and crucial storylines throughout the area that evening, earning an 8th-place finish from the CSC in the long form videos and recaps category.

“It was really cool to be recognized for my work,” Starner said. “It’s super important, especially for these long form videos that are able to tell the stories more in-depth of the athletes. Especially when it comes to big events like that, we had No. 3 Kansas coming in, there were a lot of storylines that could be told about that game.” 

“Anytime you have something like that, it’s important to be able to tell that story in a good way,” Starner continued. “The long form really does help tell the entire story of that night, and it’s something that the athletes and everyone involved will be able to go back and look at that video and remember what a historic night that was.”

NON-GAMEDAY GRAPHICS (11TH PLACE) – JAVON BAKER ALL-BIG 12 SELECTION – PHAEDRA BLAIZE

Senior wide receiver Javon Baker was one of the more explosive playmakers in the Big 12 throughout UCF football’s inaugural season in the conference. Ranking among league leaders in all-purpose yards, receiving touchdowns, receiving yards and receptions per game, Baker earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team.

Phaedra Blaize, Director of #Brand Design, created a graphic that highlights Baker while also encapsulating the feel and visual elements of the state UCF calls home, including a sandy beaches-themed backdrop and word and logo art based on a partial football field with an image of the wide receiver in action.

“I was very excited. There were a lot of entrants this year, so I was very proud and excited,” Blaize said. “It’s really important because visibility is a big thing right now in college athletics, and with the nature of social media and the role it plays, knowing that our work has been recognized and is so visible, and have that connection with student-athletes coming in is really cool.”