Blakely earns recognition for the first time in his career.
Middlebury Athletic Communications Associate Ben Blakely has earned the Fall 2025 NCAA/D3SIDA Recognition Award for outstanding storytelling. Blakely’s feature, Middlebury Women’s Ice Hockey Celebrating 50 Years, was chosen in a competitive field of stories from across NCAA Division III. This recognition kicks off the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Membership Recognition Week, which runs from November 4-9, 2025.
“I am so proud of Ben for being honored on the national stage for his work on this piece,” said Assistant Director of Athletics Ali Paquette. “Ben did an outstanding job sifting through and synthesizing five decades’ worth of stories, records and championships. He was diligent with his interviews and research and produced a cohesive and thorough piece on the history of one of our most successful programs. I am very happy that the committee chose Ben for this prestigious award, as he deserves to be recognized for his outstanding work.”
The NCAA Division III and D3SIDA recognition award is a partnership between the Division III governance staff and D3SIDA to recognize the best work by athletics communication directors portraying the Division III identity and student-athlete experience. The recognition program is part of the Division III Branding & Promotions initiative. It seeks to honor the best work – including news releases, feature articles, videos, blogs and other materials – produced by Division III campus and conference athletics communication offices.
“I am humbled and honored to receive the 2025 Fall Division III and Division III Sports Information Directors of America (D3SIDA) Recognition Award,” said Blakely. “I would like to thank our entire team of Ali, Dain and Nick for allowing me to pursue this special project highlighting the past 50 years of Middlebury women’s ice hockey. This award is a testament to the amazing stories that we as Athletic Communications professionals are excited to explore and share, no matter how long or short they may be.”
Blakely joins colleagues Dain McKee and Paquette as winners of this award. McKee earned the recognition in 2019, while Paquette was lauded in 2020 while working at Wesleyan.
More information about CSC Recognition Week can be found here.
