The field has evolved over the past couple of decades, with the advent of social media and technology. College sports information directors are now expected to serve multiple roles daily — from webmaster and graphic designer to media contact, sports writer, reporter, statistician and, in many instances, influential mentors to student-athletes.

Corey Miggins ’03 said his journey toward a career in sports information began during his first year at Illinois College, when Jim Murphy, then the director of public relations and sports information, approached him on campus.

“Jim Murphy heard I was interested in writing and he offered me the opportunity to work with him. I learned a lot interning for him over three years,” said Miggins. “He trusted me, even as a college student, to take on a professional role. Jim recognized my passion for writing and sports, and he was great mentor who helped me get into this business. That experience has been the catalyst for my career.”

Although Miggins had aspirations of becoming a sports writer prior to coming to IC, he said experiences with both led him to decide the sports information field as the best path for him. After graduation, he stayed in touch with Murphy who encouraged him and helped him land three additional internships, which led to multiple positions within sports information for various colleges.

Miggins eventually returned to his hometown of Chicago and is currently the sports information director for Chicago State University Athletics, serving as the primary media contact for the university’s 15 varsity sports and handling each team’s media coverage, statistics and website management. Miggins understands the challenges of the student-athletes he works with today, often reflecting on his own experiences playing soccer and other sports at IC.

Miggins in among a growing number of alumni who have found success in this challenging field. Among them is David Dalfonso ’13, who serves as assistant athletic director for media and communications at University of Illinois Springfield, and Matt Jagodzinski ’15, who recently took on the role of sports information director for Lyon College in Arkansas. Jagodzinski had an internship as a student working with IC’s current sports information director, Alex Keil.

One of the most valuable lessons that Miggins took away from him time at IC was the ability to learn from any experience, a component of an IC education that continues to be valuable today.

“The liberal arts education I got from IC has helped me tremendously on getting where I am now. My experiences helped me grow and led me to become a lifelong learner,” said Miggins. “I would encourage today’s IC students to get involved in different experiences and make the most of their collegiate experience.”

Taylor Baucom ’10 is also applying what she learned at Illinois College to share sports stories in a fast-paced environment that requires adaptability and a diverse skill set.

As the senior multimedia producer for the Player’s Tribune, a new media company founded by Derek Jeter to connect fans directly with first-person stories from world famous athletes, Baucom produces inspiring stories from all corners of the sports world. She credits Illinois College for serving as a springboard toward her success in photography and media.

IC’s emphasis on collaboration and the liberal arts prepared Baucom to continue to graduate school at Syracuse University and to enter a profession where collaboration and teamwork are key.

“Unlike other, bigger schools, the moment you step on the IC campus, you become someone,” said Baucom. “Professors and peers alike are able to guide you because they make the effort to know you, and the lessons the tight-knit IC community taught me in camaraderie and teamwork remain very present in my life today.”

Baucom has covered several notable sporting events, including the historic 2016 World Series win by the Chicago Cubs. Her work has been recognized with multiple honors, including awards by Time Magazine and the White House News Photographers Association. Most recently she was named to Folio magazine’s list of 30 under 30.

Another recent graduate, Taylor Brien ’15, has also had the rare opportunity to cover sporting events on the world’s largest stages. Like many of today’s students, she was able to break into a competitive field by proving herself during an internship.

Brien says that her hands-on experience working in sports with IC sports information directors Alex Keil and Matt Wing ’05 made a big impact on her journey. Brien recalls getting her start working with Wing to cover most home sporting events early in her college career, taking headshots and team photos and later branching into video interviews and a research project on the history of athletics at the College. When Alex Keil arrived during her senior year, he challenged Brien to add sports writing to her list of professional skills.

“Without Alex’s guidance and encouragement, and the foundation of learning created under Matt, I would not have felt comfortable enough to pursue the internship and job with Swimming World,” said Brien.

She learned other valuable professional lessons on the Hilltop and said, “Each year I got to know the coaches within the athletic department better and those relationships fostered more learning experiences and helped me learn how a department of people work as individuals and as teams.”

Brien’s internship for Swimming World magazine led to a full-time position. She is now the circulation and operations manager and has covered the world’s most watched swimming events, including the World Championships (Budapest, Hungary, and Windsor, Canada), Olympic Trials in Omaha and the Olympics in Rio (from home coverage).

Alexis Chavez ’17 was also able to use her experiences as an intern to land her dream job immediately after graduation. At IC, Chavez was a dedicated student-athlete who played soccer and had a baseball-focused internship working in the press box and in sports information. She worked as the social media marketing coordinator for the Student Activities Board and worked on an in-class research project with the Milwaukee Brewers as part of a marketing course.

“My internships and the education I received at IC gave me the confidence to pursue my passion of working in social media marketing,” said Chavez. “I don’t think a lot of people get as lucky as I have right out of college. I have my dream job and I owe it to the experiences I had at Illinois College.” Chavez joined the Chicago White Sox after graduation and has worked as a social media ambassador for a about a year.

IC’s reputation for preparing graduates for the competitive world of sports continues to grow as valuable connections and opportunities to work with the new technologies become available on the Hilltop.