Former football player committed to promoting all sports
For a sports fan, it’s the dream job: Working with the press and covering the athletic activities of a college with winning programs.
It’s also a big job. Andy Schlichting, Metro State’s sports information director and passionate fan, keeps the news media up to date on stats for 15 sports, manages games, and updates the College’s Athletics website at www.gometrostate.com, resulting in impressive airtime and ink for NCAA Division II teams in a market saturated with news stories about Division I programs.
“It keeps me real busy, that’s for sure,” he says. “It’s a lot of hours, but they’re fun hours.”
His enthusiasm and commitment haven’t gone unnoticed. On May 17, Schlichting was voted the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) J.W. Campbell/Con Marshall Sports Information Director of the Year.
Voted on by the RMAC’s 14 sports information directors (SIDs), the award is in its 10th year. Schlichting is the first Metro State SID to receive the honor and among the youngest.
“Communication is a large part of it,” explains Sarah Meier, assistant RMAC commissioner. “Getting all the information on the website, which is a job in itself, handling the social media and juggling the 15 sports that he has, it’s a lot of work.”
“People recognize the passion I have for my job and quality of work and the effort I put into it,” says Schlichting, who was a finalist for the award last year. “I think people saw that I’ve gotten us on to Facebook and Twitter and offered text message alerts for fans. It’s helped other schools jump on board with social media, because they’ve seen our success with that.”
A Minnesota native, Schlichting came to Metro State in February 2009. He received his bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business administration in 2006 from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn., where he was a four-year letter winner for the Mustangs football team. Schlichting also spent two years as a graduate assistant in athletic communications at his alma mater while earning his master's degree in sports leadership, which he received in 2008.
He is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and serves as the regional coordinator for Daktronics All-American Men's Basketball. He is also a member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association national poll and All-America committees.
“I owe Eric Lansing, our video coordinator, a lot of thanks,” Schlichting says. “He does all the video for our games and highlights for every sport. We’ve gotten so many compliments on our video and it’s due to him. A big thanks, too, to our Athletic Director Joan McDermott for creating that position for him and giving us the ability to get video up (on the website) hours after a game is over.”
Schlichting, who plays volleyball and indoor soccer, explains that moving to Colorado has shifted his allegiance as a fan slightly. “I’m from Minnesota so I love all Minnesota teams, but I’ve adopted all the Colorado teams. I especially love the Rockies.”