DALLAS, Texas –
Howard Payne was named the 2024-25 American Southwest Conference Sports Information Department of the Year, selected by the league’s Directors of Sports Information in an announcement on Tuesday.
The Sports Information Department of the Year award recognizes one staff annually who is judged by its peers to provide a high level of service and professionalism to the student-athletes, its school and the conference.
The Yellow Jackets’ 2024-25 staff Sports Information Department was led by
Abram Choate, who is the Assistant Director of Athletics. Choate oversees all aspects of the HPU sports information office which include-game statistics, media releases and promotion of HPU athletics and HPU student-athletes. He runs the HPU athletic website and social media pages.
Choate also coordinates the setup of all HPU athletic facilities for athletic events, hiring and training of game workers and coordinates all special halftime events. He plays a key role in Howard Payne's marketing and sponsorship program as well as assisting the director of athletics in strategic planning and hiring for the athletic department.
Also on Choate’s staff was graduate assistant
Jon-Michael Chadwick. Chadwick focused on Communications and Marketing Gameday Operations. He brought a wealth of experience in both athletics and media and used his unique skill set to enhance the athletic department’s communications efforts and create memorable game-day experiences for both athletes and fans.
“I am thrilled to see the American Southwest Conference honoring Howard Payne University’s Sports Information Department as the Sports Information Department of the Year,” said President Dr. Cory Hines. “Abram Choate leads his department well in telling the stories of our Howard Payne University student-athletes and ensuring our fans have up-to-date and current information regarding our teams.”
Choate served his 20
th season as head of the HPU Sports Information Department during the 2024-25 season. He started as Howard Payne’s Sports Information Director in 2005 before being named Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Information and Game Administration in 2013.
Since 2008-09 when the inaugural Sports Information Department of the Year award was given out, Howard Payne earns its first departmental award.
All-Time Award Recipients
| 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) |
| 2017-18 |
Sul Ross State University (Travis Hendryx) |
| 2018-19 |
University of the Ozarks (Josh Peppas) |
| 2019-20 |
East Texas Baptist University (Adam Ledyard, Kenneth Cline,
Mark Robinson, Stephen Featherson) |
| 2020-21 |
McMurry University (Mike Ezekiel, Tiffany Taylor) |
| 2021-22 |
McMurry University (Mike Ezekiel, Tiffany Taylor) |
| 2022-23 |
East Texas Baptist University (Adam Ledyard, Jordan Wommack, Ethan Bond, Libby Gear) |
| 2023-24 |
LeTourneau University (Andrew Mindeman, Jacob Neu, Robin Evanyk) |
| 2024-25 |
Howard Payne University (Abram Choate, Jon-Michael Chadwick) |