Long Beach State's Turk Honored With 25-Year Award
1/22/2024 11:29:00 AM | General
Presentation Will Be in June At National Convention
LONG BEACH, Calif.—Long Beach State Associate Athletic Communications Director Matt Turk has been honored with a 25-year award from the College Sports Communicators.
All CSC Special Awards recipients will be honored during our 2024 CSCUNITE24 convention in Las Vegas from June 9-12 (held in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week).
Turk, the Beach contact for men's and women's cross country, women's soccer, baseball, and men's and women's track and field, joined the Long Beach State staff in October 2023.
In his 29th overall year in the industry, Turk came to Long Beach State from CSUN, where he served as the sports information contact for men's soccer, women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's cross country. Turk promoted the 2018 Big West Conference Women's Basketball Tournament champions in his stint at Northridge. In addition, he was the contact for CSUN men's soccer players Danny Trejo and Giovanni Aguilar, selected in the MLS SuperDraft.
Turk arrived in Northridge from CSU Bakersfield, where he served as the assistant sports information and sports information director for the Roadrunners from November 2010 to July 2017. While at CSUB, Turk was the primary contact for the Roadrunner men's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, wrestling, baseball, beach volleyball, and water polo teams. In addition, Turk worked with 14 'Runner baseball players taken in the Major League Baseball Draft. He was the media liaison for CSUB's Gyasi Zardes, who signed a homegrown contract in 2012 with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. In addition, he served as the media liaison for Kory Kindle, who was taken in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids.
Turk came to Bakersfield after serving as an associate sports information director at Marshall University in West Virginia. During his 16-month stint in Huntington, Turk was the men's basketball and golf contact. In addition, he worked with the Thundering Herd's Hassan Whiteside, a 2010 second-round NBA draft selection by the Sacramento Kings. Five 2009-10 Marshall men's basketball team players would sign professional contracts upon graduating.
From 1997 to 2009, Turk was the sports information director at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. The only full-time person at a school that featured 18 varsity sports, Turk's staff hosted over a dozen NCAA Division III regional tournaments.
Turk led two PR campaigns that resulted in National Player of the Year Honors (1999 Honda Award for Kelly Schade in softball/2001 Hodge Trophy for Nick Ackerman in wrestling). Ackerman's PR campaign resulted in an appearance on NBC's Today Show in May of 2001. In addition, Turk's efforts for the Simpson women's basketball team garnered state-wide TV, radio, and print coverage for a team with the best winning percentage in Iowa from 1997 to 2009.
Turk began his sports information career as a graduate assistant at North Dakota State from 1995 to 97, serving as tournament host for the 1997 NCAA Division II national wrestling tournament. In addition, Turk was the press officer for the 2015 USA Baseball 17U National Team Development Program.
Matt and his wife Sara, a former All-American softball player at Simpson College and All-Conference selection at Arizona State, and their daughter, Ziva, live in Long Beach, Calif.
Below are the CSC 25-Year Award recipients, recognized for their exemplary work and quarter-century service (or more) to college sports communications.
All CSC Special Awards recipients will be honored during our 2024 CSCUNITE24 convention in Las Vegas from June 9-12 (held in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week).
Turk, the Beach contact for men's and women's cross country, women's soccer, baseball, and men's and women's track and field, joined the Long Beach State staff in October 2023.
In his 29th overall year in the industry, Turk came to Long Beach State from CSUN, where he served as the sports information contact for men's soccer, women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's cross country. Turk promoted the 2018 Big West Conference Women's Basketball Tournament champions in his stint at Northridge. In addition, he was the contact for CSUN men's soccer players Danny Trejo and Giovanni Aguilar, selected in the MLS SuperDraft.
Turk arrived in Northridge from CSU Bakersfield, where he served as the assistant sports information and sports information director for the Roadrunners from November 2010 to July 2017. While at CSUB, Turk was the primary contact for the Roadrunner men's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, wrestling, baseball, beach volleyball, and water polo teams. In addition, Turk worked with 14 'Runner baseball players taken in the Major League Baseball Draft. He was the media liaison for CSUB's Gyasi Zardes, who signed a homegrown contract in 2012 with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. In addition, he served as the media liaison for Kory Kindle, who was taken in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids.
Turk came to Bakersfield after serving as an associate sports information director at Marshall University in West Virginia. During his 16-month stint in Huntington, Turk was the men's basketball and golf contact. In addition, he worked with the Thundering Herd's Hassan Whiteside, a 2010 second-round NBA draft selection by the Sacramento Kings. Five 2009-10 Marshall men's basketball team players would sign professional contracts upon graduating.
From 1997 to 2009, Turk was the sports information director at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. The only full-time person at a school that featured 18 varsity sports, Turk's staff hosted over a dozen NCAA Division III regional tournaments.
Turk led two PR campaigns that resulted in National Player of the Year Honors (1999 Honda Award for Kelly Schade in softball/2001 Hodge Trophy for Nick Ackerman in wrestling). Ackerman's PR campaign resulted in an appearance on NBC's Today Show in May of 2001. In addition, Turk's efforts for the Simpson women's basketball team garnered state-wide TV, radio, and print coverage for a team with the best winning percentage in Iowa from 1997 to 2009.
Turk began his sports information career as a graduate assistant at North Dakota State from 1995 to 97, serving as tournament host for the 1997 NCAA Division II national wrestling tournament. In addition, Turk was the press officer for the 2015 USA Baseball 17U National Team Development Program.
Matt and his wife Sara, a former All-American softball player at Simpson College and All-Conference selection at Arizona State, and their daughter, Ziva, live in Long Beach, Calif.
Below are the CSC 25-Year Award recipients, recognized for their exemplary work and quarter-century service (or more) to college sports communications.
- Rob Anderson – Creighton University Sports Information Director
- Todd Anderson – Mercer University Assistant AD/Media Relations
- Gene Cassell – Washburn University Assistant AD for Communications
- Natalie Davis – Copiah-Lincoln Community College Sports Information Director
- Greg Hotchkiss – Central Michigan University Associate AD for Communications
- Jason Hove – South Dakota State University, Assistant AD - Athletic Communications
- Bryan Johnston – Georgia Southern University, Senior Associate AD, Communications
- Jeremy Kniffin - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Director of Athletic Communications
- Brian Lucas - former University of Wisconsin Football Director of Brand Communications
- Chris Masters - University of Illinois Chicago Senior Associate AD - External Operations
- Scott McConnell - University of Texas Assistant AD for Media Relations
- Jim Miller - Tusculum University Associate Director of Athletic Communications
- Sean Palchick - University of Akron Associate Director, Athletic Communications and Marketing
- Jay Stancil - Appalachian Athletic Conference Assistant Commissioner for Championships and Information
- Phil Stanton - Randolph-Macon College Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
- Hung Tsai - California College Athletic Association (CCAA) Director of Championships
- Matt Turk - Long Beach State University Associate Athletic Communications Director
- Jason Yellin - University of Maryland Associate AD/Strategic Communications Officer
~#GoBeach~
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