General | 9/20/2019 5:04:00 PM
UTICA, NY - Utica College Athletic Director
David Fontaine recently announced the promotion of
Laurel Simer as the Director of Sports Information. Simer will lead sports information efforts for all 26 of the College's NCAA Division III sports.
Simer steps into the director role after serving as the assistant director for seven years under the tutelage of Gil Burgmaster. During her time at Utica, Simer has hosted multiple NCAA Division III Tournament and Empire 8 Conference Championship events, including the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championships, which were held at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. She has also promoted 30 All-Americans since 2012 and served as a contact for more than 30 NCAA Championship participants.
Simer helped secure a variety of national media hits for Utica College, including three ESPN SportsCenter mentions in a span of 12 months, and she has boosted the UC athletics social media platforms, which rank in the top 15 nationally among Division III institutions.
"We are excited to have Laurel as our next Sports Information Director," said Fontaine. "She has done an outstanding job assisting in building the sports information department into a nationally respected office. With her knowledge and passion of Utica Athletics, our student-athletes, and coaching staff, we are anticipating great things to come as she takes on her role as SID".
"After a national search we are confident and excited that Laurel has accepted the job as Sports Information Director," said Head Women's Basketball Coach and Senior Women's Administrator,
Michele Davis, who was the head of the search committee. "Through the interview process it was very clear that Laurel is the best person for the job. She has over seven years of experience working in our sports information office at UC and has been an integral part of the growth of the athletics department. Laurel's tireless work ethic, loyalty, integrity and understanding of what Utica College stands for makes her by far the best person to be our Sports Information Director. Laurel is a true Pioneer through and through, she has not only worked here for the past seven years but was also a student-athlete at UC."
"I am extremely excited to become the new Director of Sports Information at Utica College," said Simer. "I consider myself very lucky to have been able to work at my alma mater for the past seven years and I'm excited to step into a new role within the department. I would like to thank Athletic Director Dave Fontaine, the search committee, and President Laura Casamento for their support of me throughout this process. I would also like to thank Gil Burgmaster, who has been a mentor of mine since I interned with him my senior year. Gil taught me everything I know about our field and gave me all the tools I needed to be successful. I look forward to continuing on the path he has led us on and hope to help UC reach new heights in the future."
Simer is a 2012 graduate of Utica College, where she earned a degree in public relations with a concentration in sports communication. She was also a four-year member of the UC women's ice hockey team from 2007-2011. In 2015, Laurel was named the Young Alumni Leadership Award winner by the Utica College alumni council.