INDIANAPOLIS – On Feb. 7, Claire Cruz, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's (UTRGV) Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, was announced as a recipient of the 2025 NCAA Inclusion CSC Convention Grant. 
 
In its seventh year, the grant is awarded to six sports communicators, two from each NCAA Division. Recipients are selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) and NCAA's Leadership Development and Media Coordination and Statistics staff. The mission of the program is to advocate for diversity within the athletic communications profession and includes a trip to the CSC Convention and the NCAA national office along with additional professional development opportunities. 
 
Statistics reported in the NCAA Demographics Database from data gathered in 2024 showed that only 25% of assistant or associate sports information directors (SIDs) at the Div. I level are women – and only 4% are women of color. A look at athletic communications teams within the Southland Conference (SLC) backs those statistics: among the 12 member institutions, there are 34 communicators and only seven are women, just about 21%. 
 
As a Hispanic woman, Cruz recognizes the responsibility of representation as one of the few women of color working in athletic communications at the NCAA's highest level. More importantly, she sees the need to push for more women, and more diversity in general, in the sports industry. 
 
It was that sense of responsibility which pushed Cruz to apply for the NCAA Inclusion Grant, and why she was so grateful to be selected and get the chance to grow through the experiences the grant provided. 
 
"I'm so thankful to the NCAA and CSC staffers for selecting me and my five peers, and now friends – Jalon Avent, Coreyon Chester, Dawnisha Franklin, Kensley Walters and Devanée Williams – to receive this incredible grant, and especially grateful for Marcus Thatcher and all the work he does leading this program," Cruz said. "I learned so much from the convention and NCAA national office visit that I now get to bring back to UTRGV to better serve our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Every experience this grant provided left me feeling inspired, humbled and so blessed to have a job I love so much." 

Receiving the NCAA Inclusion Grant led to professional and personal growth for Cruz. She connected with many influential peers at the CSC Convention and was inspired to expand her efforts within the organization. After impactful conversations at convention with the now retired Barb Kowal and countless others, Cruz was recently added to CSC's Professional Development & Continuing Education Committee and the Inclusion Committee. 
 
"Working with these committees will allow me to do my part to help shape the future of athletic communications. I'm looking forward to sharing my passion for the job and helping to educate others in our profession while continuing to learn and develop myself. Additionally, I'm excited to help tell stories and share perspectives in an effort to improve diversity and inclusion in sports," Cruz said. 
 
Cruz and the five other grant recipients traveled to Indianapolis for programming at the NCAA national office from Aug. 5-7. The group met with staffers from a variety of departments, including communication, media coordination and statistics, NCAA digital and social, championships digital and social, broadcasting, inclusion, corporate relations and ticketing.
 
The trip to Indiana also included a special tour at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway led by Jimmie McMillian, the Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Corporate Counsel for Penske Entertainment. McMillian shared his incredible story of overcoming growing up in an abusive household and failing out of college to leading IndyCar's diversity efforts as the group stood on the IMS racetrack. The experience showed Cruz how one person's efforts can spark change, like McMillian, a Black man from Chicago, leading the charge to bring more people of color into the fold of a historically White sport. 
 
Cruz resonated with McMillian's message and the discussions regarding diversity in sports communications because of her own experiences. She recalled the disheartening feeling of hearing teachers or coaches say working in sports media would be "too hard" when she was young and talking about her goals simply because she was a girl. She knows how it feels to be the only woman on press row or in a postgame press conference and understands that those types of situations can be uncomfortable and challenging. 
 
A journalist at her core, Cruz has used her storytelling skills to share the importance of diversity. She is a three-time honoree in the CSC Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest in the Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion category, including earning the category's National Runner-Up award in the 2025 contest for her story on UTRGV track & field alum Aviana Goode. 
 
Cruz is looking forward to using the knowledge and inspiration gathered through her selection as an NCAA Inclusion Grant recipient to continue advocating for diversity. 
 
"Knowing how it feels to have someone tell you achieving a dream is going to be harder for you simply because of your gender or ethnicity makes me strive to have the opposite affect – to encourage others to realize that different perspectives are important and everyone deserves a seat at the table if they're willing to put in the work," Cruz said. "I'm lucky that my parents always believed in my abilities and fostered my love for sports and storytelling. My hope is that one day, every little girl who is obsessed with sports is supported instead of doubted when she says she wants to work in sports someday." 

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