June 24, 2009

Cedar Falls, Iowa - The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced today that Laurie Wild, a graduate student at the University of Northern Iowa, was one of the organization's recipients for a postgraduate scholarship for the 2009-10 academic year. Wild, who is pursuing a master's degree in mass communications at UNI, earned the Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship ($5,000).

Wild, who earned her bachelor's degree in communication from UNI in 2008, has worked in the Panther athletics media relations office since September of 2006. During the past season, she served as the primary media relations contact for the Panther soccer and track and field/cross country teams under the supervision of UNI assistant athletics director for media relations Josh Lehman. A native of Waukon, Iowa, Wild posted a 3.60 grade-point average as an undergraduate and carries a 3.67 graduate school GPA.

The Wylie Smith Postgraduate Scholarship is named in honor of the former CoSIDA Scholarships Committee chairman and long-time sports information director at Northern Arizona University. To be eligible for one of the CoSIDA scholarships, candidates must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average and express an interest in pursuing a career in sports information.

The organization selected a pair of winners to receive $5,000 each toward pursuit of their postgraduate degrees, while adding two more undergraduate scholarship winners of $2,500 each.

The scholarships were formally announced during CoSIDA's annual workshop this week in San Antonio, Texas. The Undergraduate Scholarships and Graduate Internship Grants have been awarded since 1999, when CoSIDA expanded its scholarship program in order to foster interest in the sports information field. Since presenting the first Graduate Scholarship in 1981, CoSIDA has provided more than $325,000 in grants to students working in sports information offices at member institutions and conferences.

NOTE: Wild is the second UNI recipient of the CoSIDA postgraduate scholarship ... former student assistant Eric Braley also won the award in 2004.