Applegate Wins Grant Burger Media Award

LIBERAL, Kan. - For the second straight year, a Seward County Sports Information Director has captured the AVCA's Grant Burger Media Award.  Ian Applegate takes home this year's honors announced on Wednesday by the AVCA as the recipient of the award that celebrates outstanding coverage of two-year college volleyball. 

Applegate wins the award in his first season with the Seward, promoting a Lady Saints squad that went 33-2 on the year and a perfect 16-0 in Jayhawk West Conference play.  Behind Applegate's promotion, the Lady Saints reached their highest NJCAA ranking in school history at #3 while boosting 15 players to Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week honors and six to All-Jayhawk status, both league highs. 

Applegate went above and beyond for the Seward Volleyball program in 2017, creating a top of the line media guide to highlight players and coaches as well as designing game night player posters and highlight packages to share on social media.

Seward Athletic Director and 2017 Grant Burger Award Winner Roy Allen said of Applegate "Ian's hard work and dedication to our student-athletes and coaches is exceptional.  He puts in long hours, spends thousands of miles on the road, and is passionate about his work which shows in the quantity and quality of materials that he puts out.  I am very proud of him for earning this honor and don't think that this is the last time that his name will be brought up in conversation about awards like this, we are lucky to have him as a part of our Seward family."

The AVCA Grant Burger Media Award is an honor intended to recognize members of the media who have been involved in the advancement of the sport of volleyball, whether it be through consistent coverage in all mediums (sports information, print, broadcasting, web content, college student reporter and social media), production of volleyball-specific publications or extensive radio and/or television exposure. It is named in honor of Grant Burger, former Director of Sports Information and Associate Director of the AVCA (1988-92), whose hard work, innovative mind, knowledge and enthusiasm took the areas of media relations and publications at the AVCA to a higher level and increased awareness of the sport of volleyball nationwide.