Edition #2
September 4, 2026
Van Wagner is a leading sports advertising and entertainment agency, with global expertise in live events, sponsorship sales, multimedia rights and aerial advertising. Van Wagner creates, advises and sells on behalf of world-class teams, leagues, brands and properties. An innovator in the sports and media business, Van Wagner is a global leader in high-impact broadcast visible signage throughout the NCAA, MLB, NBA, and international soccer, as well as collegiate multimedia rights and in-venue content production at the world’s biggest sporting events. For more information, visit www.vanwagner.com.
St. Charles AD/Softball HC Dustin Wengert departs for a Softball AC position at Saint Louis (NCAA DI). Wengert was promoted to AD in January and has been with the Cougars since October 2020. (link)
More from NJCAA President and CEO Christopher Parker’s Small College Conversation as he dives into revenue growth for the association, the changing approach to partnerships and how the association can best support its membership. Here’s what you need to know…
➤ In addition to the 100% year-over-year revenue projection for media rights revenue, the NJCAA is projecting a 25% YoY bump in sponsorship revenue. Alongside the partnership with Van Wagner, the league now has over 80 corporate partnerships. Parker: “It's been exciting, but revenue is how we're going to operate. We can try to decrease cost in any way possible, but to really stay ahead of the game, we have to drive revenue. So we've kept that mindset. They hear it from me all the time of push, push, push. But the good news is even with this type of growth, we still have a long ways to go.”
➤ On the championship changes around baseball and softball, Parker notes other sport committees have already expressed interest in implementing similar models. The association has pushed back a touch, wanting to have these two sports go through the process and “iron out all the kinks” before expanding to other championships.
➤ As for sport sponsorship, the two fastest-growing NJCAA sports are women’s flag football and women’s wrestling, which mirrors the major growth the two sports have seen at the high school level. On the other side, the association has some concern around lacrosse and competitive cheerleading sponsorship. “Lacrosse has really been a battle for us and the competition level for the top lacrosse teams is pretty unbelievable, but you're only talking about a handful of teams. So many DIII-model, small schools are taking massive rosters of individuals and it's just been limited and it's continued to limit the lacrosse student athletes at the NJCAA level.” On cheer, Parker notes many schools have opted to compete in another association for cheer, which has not led to the number of opportunities as the association had originally hoped.
➤ More from Parker: “In our association, we had very little turnover from a leadership standpoint for many years across the country, very few AD changes. The last two years, we've seen more turnover probably than in the 20 years combined previously. And that's just a changing of the landscape, people moving on. We've seen a lot of coaches get NCAA DI jobs. They've gone directly from two-year college head coaches to NCAA DI head coaches. We talk about roster management, limited resources; ADs are starting to figure that out and it's all about the unity. And what I like to tell people about the NJCAA is we're the ecosystem that supports every single student-athlete. There are not many other places that you can go, come back, go up, go down, move around, find all that. We're always here being our motto, ‘Opportunities Start Here.’” Full conversation on BOSCA. (link)
After nearly two decades of not sponsoring varsity athletics, Mid-State Technical looks to reinstate intercollegiate athletics. School leaders recommend a phased approach: a planning year in FY27, NJCAA application by Oct. 1, and an initial competitive sport launch in fall 2028 for men's and women's basketball. Facility upgrades are in motion, including a new gym floor and scoreboards at the Wisconsin Rapids campus. Office Manager/athletics alum Chad Dewitt will serve as the program’s first AD. Dewitt: “We’re building this intentionally. Our goal isn’t simply to put teams on the court. We want to create a program that students are proud to be part of, that our communities can rally around and that supports student success for years to come.” (link, link)
Republican leaders have announced that the final two weeks of the pre-mid-term election House session have been cancelled, with members set to depart Washington no later than September 17 and not return until mid-November. Per Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy and Riley Rogerson, the move will severely curtail what had been a full September legislative calendar. “Leaders would recall House members for those canceled weeks if the Senate moves forward with a party-line budget reconciliation package in the meantime, GOP leaders indicated, though that is not anticipated. The decision comes as candidates agitate to get back on the campaign trail and as GOP leaders continue to struggle to maintain control of the House floor.” (link)
Check out the renovations at Itawamba’s Butch Lambert Stadium featuring a new natural grass playing surface, new LED stadium lighting and a state-of-the-art videoboard. (link)
Pensacola State cut the ribbon on its new on-campus soccer facility prior to its women’s soccer match against Northeast. (link)
East Mississippi will introduce women’s volleyball as its 13th sports program starting in fall 2027. The Lions will become the 13th MACCC member to sponsor women’s volleyball. (link)
Vincennes partners with Athletic Solutions to become its official NIL partner and provide Trailblazer student-athletes with officially licensed merchandise and individual NIL storefronts . (link)
Our sincerest condolences go out to the entire Navarro community, as well as to the family and friends of longtime Sports Information Specialist and Bulldog Hall of Famer Mike Montfort following his recent passing. (link)
People & Places…
➤ Pensacola State selects Florida Department of Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly as the lone finalist to become the college’s next president. (link)
➤ McCook names Softball AC Kelsey Gillen as Interim HC, replacing former HC Mike Mendenhall departed for the HC position at Paris. (link)
➤ SUNY Corning Softball HC/Asst. Dean of Student Services Stacy Johnson transitions to a new position as Director of Athletic Advancement and Community Outreach. (link)
New data from Sallie Mae and Ipsos shows that college costs averaged $34,019 for families in 2025-26, up 10% year-over-year, with the families of students at two-year public schools averaging $21,388, respectively. Families contributed to pay for 49% of total spending, with grants and scholarships covering 27%. Parent and student income and savings contributed 39% and 10% to total funding, with parent and student borrowing accounting for 11% each. The most significant driver in deciding where students decide to go to college were led by price (40%), proximity to home (39%), in-state school (39%), specific academic program (38%), scholarship/aid received (36%) and campus environment (33%). Notably, being recruited for a sport was the top factor for 6% of families. Full report. (link)
The average diesel price in the U.S. reached an all-time high of $5.85 per gallon on Friday, driven by Middle East supply disruptions and the ongoing conflict with Iran that has bottlenecked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and pushed Brent crude above $95 a barrel. Per the AP’s Wyatte Grantham-Philips, the record fuel cost is rippling across the economy by raising freight and transportation expenses for everyday consumer goods, with shipping surcharges already added by companies such as Amazon, FedEx, UPS and the USPS, and grocery aisle prices rising for perishable foods, produce and meat. Diesel is now up close to 56% from its pre-war price of $3.76. Michigan State Professor David Ortega: "Early on, much of the cost increase gets absorbed along the supply chain through existing freight contracts and retailer margins. But as contracts reprice and fuel surcharges take hold, more of that cost makes its way to the grocery store." For those that don’t drive a diesel vehicle, AAA reports the national gas price average has surged to $4.14 per gallon, surpassing the previous holiday record of $3.82 established back in 2012. (link, link)