The University of Akron Athletics
SID Bongiovi to Receive 25-Year Award from CoSIDA
AKRON, Ohio — University of Akron Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Cathy Bongiovi will receive the 25-Year Award from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) during the organization's annual convention in June.
Bongiovi joined the Zips in August 2014. She is responsible for formulating and executing a communications and public relations strategy to maximize coverage and exposure for Zips Athletics while overseeing the Communications and New Media offices. Additionally, Bongiovi serves as the primary publicist for the football and women's tennis teams.
Bongiovi joined the Zips after seven years at Temple University, where she worked with the football and women's basketball teams. Serving as the primary media contact for the football team, Bongiovi was one of just five women nationally to serve in that capacity at the Football Bowl Subdivision at the time of her hire in 2007.
During her time at Temple, Bongiovi worked with numerous National Football League (NFL) Draft picks, and her marketing and promotional materials helped propel the Owls athletics teams into the national limelight. She highlighted several student-athletes for prestigious national All-America honors and Heisman Trophy campaigns. Bongiovi worked with the Owls' football program during its recent appearances at the 2009 EagleBank Bowl and 2011 Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
Bongiovi returned to Philadelphia after six seasons at the University of Virginia, where she served as the assistant media relations director. She worked with the football, women's basketball, and rowing teams. Prior to her stint at Virginia, Bongiovi spent four years at Penn State, handling publicity for the PSU Final Four women's basketball and College Cup women's soccer programs.
Bongiovi has worked with legendary women's basketball coaches during her career, including Hall of Fame inductees Geno Auriemma (Connecticut), Debbie Ryan (Virginia), and C. Vivian Stringer (Iowa). She has earned three Final Four rings from three different schools: Connecticut (1991), Iowa (1993) and Penn State (2000). She has helped promote more than two dozen professional football players, including 10 NFL draftees.
A 1987 Penn State graduate in broadcast journalism, Bongiovi joined her alma mater in the fall of 1997 after serving two years as the assistant director of communications at the Atlantic 10 Conference in Philadelphia.
Following graduation, Bongiovi spent three seasons as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers public relations staff. She then served as an athletic communications assistant at the University of Connecticut, where she handled all publicity for the women's basketball team during its inaugural Final Four appearance in March 1991.
In August 1991, Bongiovi was named the assistant sports information director with the University of Iowa women's athletic department, and two years later she was promoted to sports information director for the Hawkeyes' 12 varsity women's sports, including the Final Four women's basketball and World Series softball programs.
A member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and Female Athletic Media Relations Executives (FAME), Bongiovi has earned numerous citations for excellence from CoSIDA in publication design. In 2005, Bongiovi was named the Chair of the CoSIDA Publications Committee. She also served as a member of the NCAA Women's Final Four media coordination staff from 1997 to 2001.
