Hillsboro, Ore.- Steve Flegel, the Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Communications at Whitworth University, has been voted by his peers as the 2022-23 recipient of the Jack Sareault Award, which is presented annually to the Northwest Conference Sports Information Director of the Year.
In addition to his work with athletics at Whitworth, Flegel currently serves on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Advocacy Committee and CSC U Committee. Flegel has been active in CSC since 1997 where he served on the Ethics Committee from 2005-2008 and was selected to the organization’s Board of Directors in the fall of 2011, serving a five year term.
Flegel worked as the Information Director of the Northwest Conference from July 1999 until December of 2011. Flegel has been involved in a number of NCAA Division III Championship events as the Media Coordinator, including the 2000 cross country championships, football first and second round games in 2001 and 2006, volleyball regionals in 2002 and 2005, men’s soccer regionals and sectionals in 2005, and men’s basketball first and second round games from 2008 through 2011 and again in 2013 and 2016. Whitworth hosted the NCAA Division III regional tournaments in softball and baseball in May of 2016, as well as an off-site baseball regional in 2018. He has also volunteered at the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball final four in 1997, the NCAA Division I women’s basketball regionals in 2001 and the NCAA Division I men’s basketball first and second rounds in 2003, 2007 and 2016.
“Steve is a consummate professional who goes the extra mile for the sake of the student-athletes he serves,” said Whitworth Director of Athletics Tim Demant. “He is highly respected by his peers for his compassion, expertise, and insights. He is well deserving of receiving this award”.
2023 marks the fourth year that Flegel has been named the Jack Sareault Award winner – first in the initial year the award was presented in 2006, as well as 2013 and 2019. In addition, he was also selected for the AVCA Grant Burger Media Award for the NCAA Division III West Region in 2006.
“To be recognized by Northwest Conference colleagues for whom I hold so much respect is a huge honor,” says Flegel. “So is being associated with Jack Sareault, a man who dedicated so much of his professional life to promoting small college athletics in the Northwest. I am humbled and grateful”.
Jack Sareault, who served for a number of years as sports information director for the Northwest Conference, was instrumental in documenting the league's entire sports history, going all the way back to its founding in 1926. In recognition of his invaluable work, the NWC SID of the Year award was named in his honor and is given annually to the top athletics communications office as voted on by all the conference’s athletics communications personnel.
Previous Jack Sareault Award winners
2021-22 - Robert McKinney & Chris Sabato, Willamette University; 2020-21 - Kelly Bird & Avi Mehta, Linfield University;2019-20 - Ryan Goff, Lewis & Clark College;2018-19 - Steve Flegel, Whitworth University;2017-18 - Gregor Walz, Puget Sound; 2016-17 - Ryan Goff, Lewis & Clark College; 2015-16 - Casey Grogan, Pacific; 2014-15 – Kelly Bird/Katherine Brackman, Linfield; 2013-14 - Blair Cash, George Fox; 2012-13 - Steve Flegel, Whitworth; 2011-12 - Nick Dawson, Pacific Lutheran; 2010-11 - Blake Timm, Pacific; 2009-10 - Chris Thompson, Puget Sound; 2008-09 - Blair Cash, George Fox; 2007-08 - Kelly Bird, Linfield; 2006-07 - Blake Timm, Pacific; 2005-06 - Steve Flegel, Whitworth/Northwest Conference