RICHARDSON, Texas – University of Texas at Dallas has been recognized as the 2016-17 American Southwest Conference Sports Information Department of the Year as selected by the conference sports information directors.
 
The UT Dallas sports information staff includes Bruce Unrue, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations, and Dave Wester, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations. The UT Dallas staff is the first two-time recipient of the ASC award, also earning the honor in 2011-12.
 
"We are very honored and humbled to receive this award from our fellow athletics communications professionals," Unrue said. "There is a lot of good work being done throughout this conference to promote the individual programs as well as the ASC; and any number of our conference colleagues are also deserving of the same recognition."
 
Unrue and Wester manage media activities for the 13 UT Dallas varsity athletic programs which included five ASC champion and four regular-season conference champion teams in 2016-17. The duo utilize a mix of tools within the sports information operation to publicize the student-athletes and Athletics Department.-- online via UTDcomets.com and multiple social media channels, live stream game presentations, and statistical and historical services.
 
During the 2016-17 year, the UT Dallas staff also served as media services directors for the American Southwest Conference men's soccer championship and baseball first round tournaments along with the NCAA Division III volleyball regional tournament and women's basketball first and second round tournament games. In addition to campus responsibilities, Unrue and Wester collaborate with conference and region sports information staffs in event coverage and assist with professional development.
 
Unrue joined the UT Dallas athletics staff in November 2003 as the institution's first full-time sports information director with promotion to Associate Athletic Director in 2008. In addition to overseeing media relations, Unrue is responsible for the design/production of all departmental publications, the design/maintenance of the UT Dallas athletics website and coordination of video productions. He is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
 
A member of the UT Dallas athletics media relations staff since September 2010, Wester assists in the promotion of the athletic programs as well new media initiatives for the department. He helps manage in-game and historic statistics programs, maintains the content and development of the athletics web site and serves as the media liaison. Wester is a member of CoSIDA.
 
The 2016-17 year marks the ninth time the ASC Sports Information Department of the Year award has been presented since being instituted for the 2008-09 academic year.
 
 
ASC Sports Information Department of the Year

Year	Institution (Staff)
2008-09	Texas Lutheran University (Tim Clark, Patrick Zarate)
2009-10	University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Jon Wallin)
2010-11	Hardin-Simmons University (Chad Grubbs)
2011-12	University of Texas at Dallas (Bruce Unrue, Dave Wester)
2012-13	Mississippi College (David Nichols)
2013-14 (co)	East Texas Baptist University (Adam Ledyard); University of Texas at Tyler (Peyton Low, Jeff Williford)
2014-15	Concordia University Texas (Tony Baldwin)
2015-16	LeTourneau University (Danny Kambel)
2016-17	University of Texas at Dallas (Bruce Unrue, Dave Wester)