A veteran with more than three decades of experience, Kent Cherrington, currently the Athletics Communications and Operations Coordinator at Babson College, is the 2023 recipient of the Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement.
 
The Pete Nevins Award is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her advancement of the field of athletic communications and advocacy for intercollegiate athletics. The winner must have served at least 25 years in the sports information field, and be either a current or former member of EAST-COMM. The award will be presented at the discretion of the EAST-COMM Executive Board, and only one winner can be named per year.
 
Kent Cherrington is a past president of EAST-COMM/ECAC-SIDA (2006-07) and is the recipient of the 2010 Irving T. Marsh Award.  A 2020 inductee into the College Sports Communicators/CoSIDA Hall of Fame, Cherrington got his start in sports information at the University of New Hampshire as an undergraduate, where he was a member of the Wildcats swimming and diving program.  From there he was named assistant SID at Miami (Ohio) University in 1984.
 
Cherrington returned to the Granite State in 1994 to begin a 23-year stint as the sports information Director at Plymouth State.  In 2018 he was named Director of Athletic Communications at Lasell University, and in November 2021 moved into his current role at Babson.
 
Let's get to know 2023 award winner Kent Cherrington.
 
 
EAST-COMM: What was your reaction when you were told that you had been selected as this year's Pete Nevins Award winner?
 
KC: I was completely taken by surprise, to say the least. I actually started shaking, like I was having a panic attack. I didn't even know what to say to Scott Guise, who called to share the news with me. I was completely humbled. A few days later, I was told that the award winner is selected by previous recipients of the award, and I was even more stunned. I look at that list of names and I can't even believe I'm now on that list. I feel so honored, it's hard to come up with the words.
 
EC: Discuss your relationship with Pete and what he meant to the sports information profession and to ECAC-SIDA/EAST-COMM.
 
KC: I didn't know Pete well, but I remember that whenever Pete was speaking, you wanted to listen. One of the legends in CoSIDA and ECAC-SIDA, he always had so much great advice for his colleagues. Pete was a big proponent for trying to have a work-life balance. He liked to share the story that he made sure to be home every night for dinner with his wife and family, even if he had to return to the office after dinner (Note: he worked in an era before laptops made working from home an option). He received numerous honors for his work in the profession, yet after he retired, he worked part-time for the local weekly newspaper, focusing on local student-athletes who were making news elsewhere. Pete was the kind of guy you never forget after you meet him and listen to him speak. Pete passed away during my tenure as president of ECAC-SIDA, and the board felt strongly that Pete had made such an impact on our profession that the Pete Nevins Award was established.
 
EC: As a past president of the organization, what does this organization mean to you?
 
KC: Both ECAC-SIDA (now East-Comm) and CoSIDA (now College Sports Communicators) were big parts of my career, both in terms of attending the yearly workshops for so many years and being involved in the leadership of both organizations. The professional development I received from both organizations can never be overstated, but the most meaningful thing about them was the relationships I established with so many colleagues. It was always so wonderful to share stories and experiences with colleagues who could relate to the challenges and successes that you have in this profession. I don't always remember the topics of the panels or conversations we had at the workshops, but I'll never forget the relationships and friendships I made with so many colleagues from so many institutions.
 
EC: What have been some of the top moments in your career?
 
KC: The memories of the wins and losses, the excitement of championships won and sadness of others that came up short, all come and go as the years go by. The biggest highlights were when I helped our student-athletes and teams receive national media attention, like the basketball star at Miami (Ohio) and the amazing softball pitcher and men's hockey championship team at Plymouth State. The top moments that I will always remember, though, are about the people I've worked with along the way. In particular, the student workers and student-athletes who mean the most to me. Having a former student-worker come back after they've graduated and tell me they learned more working in my office that they did in their classes or having a former student-worker tell me how the experience they got working in my office helped them in their professional life or their personal life. I remember student-athletes publicly thanking me at the team banquet that meant so much to me. It was very meaningful when I've attended numerous weddings of former student-workers, and several former students attended my wedding. Yes, winning games and championships were great, but earning the respect and friendship from the people around you are the top moments for me. I will add that becoming ECAC-SIDA President, receiving the Marsh Award and Nevins Award from East-Comm and being inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame were pretty special, too.
 
EC: Over your career, what have been some of the biggest changes that you have seen in the profession?
 
KC: There have been so many changes, I could go on for hours describing the changes in Sports Information from a generation ago to Athletic Communications today. Even the names have changed! Yet, I can generalize the changes and advancements with one word: technology! When I started, the biggest responsibilities were tracking statistics and records with paper and pencil and using a desktop telephone and the US Postal Service to get your scores and stories publicized in the newspaper. The first advancement of my career was an electric typewriter! Obviously, now everything is done electronically on a computer or a handheld device and getting the word out on the internet and social media. Printed newspapers are becoming if not already obsolete. I remember about 20 years ago when we were using modems through a phone line to get on the internet, the thought that we might broadcast some of our athletic events on our web sites someday, and people thought I was crazy but here we are, streaming all of our athletic events on web sites and cell phones and social media. It's been amazing the amount of advancement and growth in our profession. Only being a people profession remains the same!
 
EC: What advice would you have for aspiring athletics communications professionals?
 
KC: I always tell my students to get involved, even as a volunteer, in as many things as possible and meet as many people as possible. You never know when something you're involved in or someone you meet or work with will lead to an opportunity. I wanted to be a sportscaster when I was growing up and working at the college radio station led me to an internship in the Sports Information Office, an office I had never heard of, and here I am, 40 years later, still working in that profession.