CLEVELAND, OH – The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) is proud to recognize three of its athletic communications professionals who were honored by College Sports Communicators (CSC) for their outstanding service, leadership, and contributions to the profession.
 
Bill Wagner, assistant athletics director for athletics communications at DePauw, was selected to receive two of CSC’s highest honors, the Warren Berg Award and the Lester Jordan Award, while Ashleigh Jones, director of athletics communications at Denison, was named the Rising Star Award winner (College Division) and Brent Harris, athletics and recreation communications director at Wabash, was recognized as part of CSC’s 25-Year Service Award class.
 
Bill Wagner – Warren Berg Award and the Lester Jordan Award
Wagner, one of the most respected professionals at the NCAA Division III level, is in his 40th year at DePauw and has spent parts of five decades serving student-athletes and the athletics communications profession.
 
He became DePauw’s Sports Information Director in 1986 and was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Athletics Communications in 2019, overseeing external communications for the university’s 23 varsity programs. Prior to DePauw, he served on the sports information staffs at Miami University (Ohio) and The Ohio State University.
 
His impact extends well beyond campus as Wagner has served as a College Division representative on CSC’s Board of Directors from 2005-08 and was the inaugural president of the Division III Sports Information Directors Association from 2008-11. He has been a member of the Academic All-America® Core Committee since 2002 and continues to serve as a district coordinator.
 
Wagner has also been a host media coordinator for more than one hundred NCAA postseason events, including the 2001 Division III Men’s Tennis Championships and the 2003 and 2010 Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
A 2014 inductee into the CSC Hall of Fame, Wagner was inducted into the DePauw University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025. He received DePauw’s Outstanding Gold Spirit Award in 2024 and the Bob Williams Helping Hands Award from the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 2025. His career includes numerous CSC Publication & Digital Design Awards, including “Best in the Nation” honors for DePauw’s 1996 and 1997 football media guides.
 
Wagner earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Miami University in 1985 and a master’s degree in sport management from Ohio State in 1986. Wagner and his wife, Shelly, are the proud parents of two children: Nadia and John.
 
The Warren Berg Award is presented annually to a College Division member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of athletics communications and brought dignity and prestige to the profession.
 
The Lester Jordan Award recognizes exemplary service to the Academic All-America® Program and the promotion of the ideals of the student-athlete. Wagner will receive both awards at the CSC Unite 26 Convention.
 
Ashleigh Jones – Rising Star Award
Now in her sixth year in the profession, Jones was named Denison’s Director of Athletics Communications in January 2025 where she leads an office of three professionals that supports the Big Red’s 24 NCAA Division III programs.
 
Jones previously spent five years as Associate Director of Athletics Communications at DePauw University from 2019-24, where she worked alongside Wagner. During her time there, she managed student assistants, advised the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Diverse Athletic Association, and developed a semester-long internship program in partnership with the DePauw Media Fellows initiative.
 
Her professional recognition includes DePauw’s inaugural Rising Star Award in 2023, selection to the Learfield EDGE Academy cohort in 2023, and participation in the NCAA Division II Athletic Communicators Emerging Elite Program in 2024.
 
Jones began her career as a graduate assistant at North Central College during the 2017-18 academic year. She earned her undergraduate degree in kinesiology with a minor in communications from Miami University (Ohio) in 2014 and later completed a master’s degree in leadership.
 
The Rising Star Award honors young professionals who have demonstrated exceptional promise, leadership, and service early in their careers.
 
Brent Harris – 25-Year Service Award
Harris, now in his 26th year at Wabash College, was recognized by CSC as a member of the organization’s 25 Year Service Award class, honoring his long-standing commitment to excellence in athletics communications.
 
He joined Wabash in 1999 as the College’s Sports Information Director after working in television, newspaper, and radio across several media markets. He was named Director of Sports Information and Sports Marketing in 2008 and elevated to Athletics and Campus Wellness Communications Director in 2019. In addition to leading communications efforts for Wabash athletics, Harris also serves as advisor to the College’s student-run radio station, 91.3 FM WNDY.
 
Throughout his career, Harris has earned national recognition for his work. His 2010 Wabash football media guide was named Best in the Nation among College Division programs by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and his feature story “54 Steps” earned Best in Region honors and placed second nationally in the 2009 Fred Stabley Writing Contest. A CSC member since 1999, Harris previously served as a Division III regional representative on the DIII-SIDA Board of Directors and is a longtime member of the Academic All-America® Committee. He also contributed to the testing group for Genius Sports’ NCAA Live Stats football software development.
 
Harris’ influence extends well beyond campus. He has spent 31 seasons working on the Indianapolis Colts’ game-day staff and the past 18 seasons as the team’s primary computer entry technician. In 2019, he became an NFL employee as a Game Statistics Information System primary entry technician, a role that included service on the statistics crew for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.
 
He has also worked as a statistician and spotter for NFL broadcasts with CBS and Fox Sports, and served as co-director of the Site Control group for NCAA Tournament games at Lucas Oil Stadium and Gainbridge Fieldhouse. His championship experience includes multiple Men’s and Women’s Final Fours, NCAA women’s basketball championships across all divisions, and more than a decade working the Big Ten Football Championship game.
 
In 2023, Harris received the Bob Williams Helping Hand Award from the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in recognition of his service to media outlets throughout the state of Indiana.
 
A graduate of Illinois State University, Harris began his career in radio as a disc jockey, sports director, and play-by-play announcer before transitioning into newspaper production, circulation management, and information technology roles. He was named an honorary alumnus of Wabash College in 2011.