BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Alan Wickström of Wheaton College (Mass.) is recognized with the 2024-25 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Women’s Division III Sports Information Director of the Year award.
Selected by the CWPA Director of Communications, the SID of the Year award is presented to individuals who “have achieved notable excellence in the field of water polo communications during the past academic year.”
The award marks the 15th Women’s Division III SID of the Year award presented by the league office. Former Washington & Jefferson College Sports Information Director and current Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness claimed accolades during the 2010-11 and 2013-14 academic years, while Grove City College’s Ryan Briggs took honors in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2020-21. Former W&J SID Sean King joins Briggs with a trio after three-peating with laurels in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 before Macalester College’s Matt McLagan became the first SID from outside Pennsylvania to claim the accolade by taking the 2017-18 award. Austin College’s Jeff Kelly earned notice in 2018-19, Wittenberg University’s A.J. Meyer notched the 2019-20 award, Augustana College’s Trevor Jossart collected honors in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 prior to Connecticut College’s Dustin Waleff notching the 2023-24 honor.
Named Director of Athletics Communications at Wheaton in July of 2021, Wickström has enjoyed a career in sports media relations for nearly 30 years, including 24 as a Director of Sports Information/Athletics Communications and currently serves as a District Coordinator on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Committee.
Wickström served as the Director of Athletics Communications for Simmons University in Boston, Mass., for six years and was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Sports Information Director of the Year in 2020. During his tenure at Simmons, Wickström oversaw and guided a new branding directive for the university’s athletics program, which included the implementation of new primary, secondary and tertiary logos, giving the Sharks a modern look that more accurately captured the spirit of the program.
A District Coordinator for the CSC/formerly College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America program since 2015, the veteran PR man promoted seven different coaches of the year, 10 conference team champions, multiple All-America selection and All-Region selections as well as dozens of all-conference performers at Simmons.
Prior to arriving at Simmons, Wickström was the Director of Sports Information at Wheelock College in Boston, Mass., ,where he publicized and promoted all 11 of the college’s athletics programs. In addition to his duties with Wheelock and Simmons, the seasoned veteran also assisted media relations efforts with Boston College women’s basketball, ice hockey, field hockey, volleyball and women’s lacrosse as well as Northeastern University men’s and women’s basketball and the Atlantic Coast Conference field hockey and women’s lacrosse championship tournaments to go with a post with the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse regional championship staff.
He also spent 10 years as Director of Athletics Communications at University of Massachusetts Boston, where he oversaw publicity and promotion of all of the University’s 18 athletic programs. During his tenure, Wickström publicized stories that garnered attention from The Today Show, Good Morning America, ESPN,CNN/SI and Sports Illustrated in addition to all the local Boston digital and print media outlets. He earned University and Department awards during his stay as well.
Wickström stepped away from college athletics for almost two years as Manager of Publications/Public Relations Assistant for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., where he oversaw all of the Hall of Fame’s publications, while also helping to create programming for the museum. Wickström helped with media relations for the 1999 and 2000 Induction Ceremonies and Hall of Fame Games and was also a part of the media relations team for the 1999 American League Division Series Playoffs for the New York Yankees-Texas Rangers series in the Bronx as well as the Boston Red Sox-Cleveland Indians match-up at Fenway Park.
He was the youngest Director of Sports Information in the nation at age 22 when he assumed the position at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham in 1995 and spent nearly four years there promoting the University’s athletic programs. While in Madison, NJ, Wickström aided the media relations effort at the 1996 NCAA Division I Final Four Men’s Basketball Championship at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.
Wickström graduated with a degree in Communications from Seton Hall University, where he was a member of the Office of Sports Information for four years and gained experience working many significant events, including the 1993 and 1995 NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional Tournament and various Big East Conference Championship venues. Following his graduation from the Hall in 1995, he was the Assistant Director of Sports Information at Wagner College.
A Massachusetts resident, he has also served as an official scorekeeper for the Worcester Tornadoes professional baseball team of the independent CanAm League and has played baseball himself in Boston’s historic Yawkey League. In addition, he completed his Masters degree in Education from Lesley University and is a graduate of the Shady Hill School Teacher Training Course.
