Wingate SID David Sherwood Named Region Winner For AVCA Media Award

Lexington, Ky. -- Wingate University Assistant Athletic Director for sports information and game operations David Sherwood has been named the NCAA Division II South Region honoree for the American Volleyball Coaches Association Grant Burger Media Award.

Presented each year by the AVCA, the honor focuses on hard-working, dedicated individuals across the country. Sherwood has served as the sports information director at Wingate University since 1985.

A 1985 Wingate graduate, Sherwood has helped Wingate student-athletes earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors 28 times since 2000, tied for the fourth highest total in NCAA Division II. The 37 Academic All-America® winners in the school's history are tops among South Atlantic Conference schools. Wingate leads the SAC with 44 South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete awards, recognizing one outstanding student-athlete in each of the 14 conference-sponsored sports.

"We are all very proud of David for receiving this recognition for his exceptional effort with sports information for volleyball," Wingate head volleyball coach Shelton Collier says. "David works harder than anyone I know to help our Wingate student-athletes receive awards and publicity, so it is very appropriate that the AVCA is recognizing him for his tireless efforts. I have coached for many years at numerous institutions; I can safely say that I have not worked with anyone more dedicated to the service of student-athletes than David Sherwood."

Sherwood has served as the minister of youth at Wingate Baptist Church since 1990. In addition to his job as Assistant Athletic Director and his involvement with his church, Sherwood has been a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America® Committee since 1995. He was a part of the CoSIDA Membership Services Committee for one year. Sherwood has attended 16 CoSIDA Workshops.

In 2007, Sherwood won the Faith Award and the Service Award at Wingate University's annual Service Awards event. Wingate's interim head softball coach from 1990-93, Sherwood has a B.A. degree in Communication Studies from the University.

In 2003, Sherwood received the Bob Kenworthy Award from CoSIDA. The Kenworthy Award is given annually to a CoSIDA member for community involvement and accomplishments outside the sports information office. Sherwood is the son of Harry Sherwood and Juel R. Sherwood, both of Wingate.

MaxPreps, Inc. has been selected as the recipient of the 2007-08 AVCA Grant Burger Media Award. MaxPreps, Inc. is a division of the CBS College Sports Network.

The AVCA expanded the media award's scope in 2004-05 by having a finalist in four different categories: broadcast, print, web and sports information/athletic communications. Further, the finalist for the sports information/athletic communications category came from region winners from each of the NCAA divisions, with the addition of an NAIA winner being named this year as well. The 2008 sports information finalist was Shamus McKnight of the University of Nebraska.