Columbus, Ohio - The University of Findlay was named as the 2024-25 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Sports Information Director Staff of the Year at the league's annual preseason meetings on Thursday, July 24.

The Oilers received the sixth annual presentation of the award after Ashland University was named the winner a year ago. Each member institution's SID department was responsible for the voting of the award.

Findlay's staff is headed up by Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs, Kyle Niermann, and Director of Digital Strategy & Creative Content, Meredith Wipper. Graduate assistants in the athletics communications department for 2024-25 included former Findlay baseball player Aiden Lao and former Findlay track athlete Ashley Van Hoose. Lao will return for a second year as a graduate assistant in 2025-26 while Van Hoose has since taken a role as the Athletics Creative Services Manager at Hillsdale College.

Niermann is entering his tenth year as a full-time employee at Findlay while Wipper is starting her fifth. Both also worked at UF as graduate assistants prior to their hiring in 2015 and 2021, respectively.

"Being named the Sports Information Staff of the Year is an incredible honor, and Meredith and I are deeply humbled to have been selected by our peers", said Niermann. "We are fortunate to work with exceptional Sports Information Directors across the league, and we hope this award shines a light not only on Findlay but also on the dedicated efforts of communications professionals at every institution in the Great Midwest. It is a cohesive group that we are lucky to call our coworkers and friends. Here at UF, we are blessed to have a supportive team of coaches and administrators who champion our efforts in promoting our hard-working student-athletes, and for that, we are truly grateful."

Niermann and Wipper, which were honored earlier in the year by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) for having the top pregame hype video and Signing Day content among the nation's small colleges, work in tandem to cover Findlay's 650 student-athletes. This includes eye-catching graphics, hype videos, and motion graphics on the Oilers' social media channels and in-venue displays. 

Findlay also excels in the photography department, internally providing top-notch media days for its' athletes, while providing action pictures to their opponents, going beyond their other post game responsibilities.

This is the third time in six years that Findlay has been selected for this award.

About the Great Midwest SID Staff of the Year Award
The award recognizes and takes into consideration the following criteria: hospitality and communication demonstrated towards their peers, accuracy and timeliness of statistics, social media development and growth and any additional awards received with in the industry. Selections are made by the league's sports information directors and schools cannot win in back-to-back years.

Past SID Staff of the Year Winners
2019-20: Cedarville
2020-21: Findlay
2021-22: Walsh
2022-23: Findlay
2023-24: Ashland
2024-25: Findlay