Since 1996, the Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM), previously known as ECAC-SIDA, annually presents the Bill Esposito Award to a graduating college senior who wishes to pursue a career in athletic communications.
 

In 2023-24, the Esposito Award will bear the name of Adelphi University softball student-athlete and dedicated student worker within Adelphi's sports information office, Courtney Wengryn.
 
 
The Award is named to honor the memory of one of the true patriarchs of the sports information profession. Bill Esposito served as the Sports Information Director at St. John's University in New York for 25 years. He served as a past-President of ECAC-SIDA in 1972-73 and was the organization's Irving Marsh Award recipient in 1973. He was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 1984. Bill Esposito passed away in 1995.
 
 
"I am truly honored to accept this award, as I could not have done it without the people who have mentored me. This award is an honor in itself, and I am truly grateful for everyone who has supported me along the way," Wengryn said.
 

On the most eagerly-anticipated day of EAST-COMM's annual convention, Wengryn will be celebrated at the 2024 EAST-COMM Awards Banquet on Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m. at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Md.
 

Since arriving at Adelphi in the fall of 2020, Wengryn -- even with the difficult task of navigating a global health crisis to begin her undergraduate tenure -- has managed to succeed in every facet of her academic and athletic journey.
 


 
"I'm incredibly proud of the work that Courtney continues to pour into our office and department while juggling being a student and an athlete at Adelphi," said Associate Athletic Director for External Relations Emily Dorko. "We are appreciative of her interest in not only what we do daily, but in the ways that she finds a creative outlet to support all the programs at AU. As a female in this industry, it's encouraging to see a younger female looking to make her mark."
 

A three-year starter and two-time NE10 All-Conference and NFCA All-Region performer, coupled with dedicating her already jam-packed schedule to spending countless hours with Adelphi's sports information office and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Wengryn has maintained a spectacular 3.749 cumulative grade-point average.
 
She was even honored as a College Sports Communicators Third Team Academic All-American just last spring.
 

"There aren't enough words to express what Courtney has meant to our office, our department and just the University as a whole," Adelphi Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information Ian Schraier stated. "Since the moment she expressed an interest to join our staff, Courtney has left permanent marks on the work that continues to be generated by our office. Courtney's unparalleled commitment and contagious attitude make her the ideal representation of what the Esposito Award personifies."
 

To think that Courtney once led off her career as a Psychology major, until a crucial conversation with the 2024 CSC College Division Rising Star Award winner (Dorko) three years ago put her on a different course.
 

All the while, Wengryn continues to be her fellow student-athletes' advocate towards starting a conversation on mental health. With Courtney's guidance, the Adelphi University Department of Athletics formed a blossoming relationship with Morgan's Message -- a non-profit that strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.
 

A chapter that was first authored in 2022, Adelphi's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee -- with Wengryn pioneering the efforts -- organizes an annual dodgeball tournament for charity and sells Morgan's Message-inspired tee-shirts that have raised significant funds for the cause of heightening mental awareness.
 

For more information and to register for the 2024 EAST-COMM workshop click here