HICKORY, NC – The Lenoir-Rhyne Athletic Department earned three national awards in the 2020-2021 NACMA Best of Awards, announced by the organization during a virtual awards ceremony Thursday. LR took home a gold medal in the "Community Engagement & PR" category, and a silver medal in the "Schedule Poster" and "Single Game Promotion" categories.
 
"It's a huge honor to have LR recognized nationally for the work of our talented external team," said Vice President for Athletics Kim Pate. "In a challenging year, our staff continued charging forward with creative and innovative promotions to engage our community while providing our student-athletes and fans with the best possible game day experience."
 
LR earned a gold medal for Community Engagement & PR for the second annual 828 Day held August 28^th, 2020. 828 Day's inaugural event in 2019 was a free, in-person festival hosted by LR's student-athletes at Moretz Stadium to thank the local community for its continued support of LR Athletics. 2020's circumstances transitioned 828 Day to a social media campaign and socially-distanced scavenger hunt aimed at promoting local businesses. 828 Day 2020 was a success because of the incredible support and engagement from the local Catawba County and Hickory communities.
 
LR is excited to bring 828 Day back to Moretz Stadium for an in-person event in 2021! In addition, LR will continue the digital celebration and community engagement from 828 Day 2020.  You already know the date, so mark your calendars now!
 
View the NACMA Gold award winning submission here.
 
The spring '21 schedule poster won a silver medal for its design work, branding, and new mailing format in the midst of a pandemic. The schedule poster was designed in-house by Max Gamble and featured a QR code with the most up-to-date game schedules. A limited amount of these award-winning posters are still available.
 
Request a copy of the nationally recognized LR Bears spring 2021 schedule poster here.
 
The Stuff the Shu promotion during the Queens vs LR basketball games won a silver medal. The Bears partnered with the Queens to lend a paw to our local communities and raise money for Make-a-Wish. Fans from both schools purchased a teddy bear or lion to fill a seat during the games. Afterwards, the stuffed animals were donated to organizations in the Hickory and Charlotte areas and the proceeds from the sales were donated to the SAAC's Make-a-Wish annual fundraising campaign. Together, nearly 100 stuffed animals were donated and more than $250 was raised.
 
The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrations `provides tools, training and network for collegiate sports marketers to successfully generate revenue, manage brands, and develop fans.
 
NACMA is committed to providing education and resources for our organization and its members to be leaders in fostering inclusive environments for our student-athletes, colleagues and fans, while promoting and celebrating diversity in sports, the workplace, and higher education.