Left: Image of Claire Cruz at CSC National Convention | Right: UTRGV Vaqueros Football Game Day Program Cover against East Texas A&M

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UTRGV Athletics Earns Creative & Digital Design and Writing Recognition at CSC Unite 26

LAS VEGAS –The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics communications and design team members were recognized Wednesday for efforts in documenting a banner year for the Vaqueros at the College Sports Communicators (CSC) national convention held at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. 
 
Winners in the CSC Creative & Digital Design Contest were announced Wednesday afternoon during a special events luncheon to wrap up the four-day CSC Unite 26 event. A record 2,565 entries were submitted for the contest, which recognizes a variety of work done at all levels of college athletics, including game programs, media guides, graphics, video, photography and more. There were 980 entries in the university division, composed exclusively of Division I institutions, and nearly 270 institutions and conference offices submitted work in the contest. 
 
Jonah Goldberg, the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Communications & Championships, and Athletics Graphic Designer Maria Ruiz earned First Place and Best Cover in the Programs category in the university division for their game day program for UTRGV's football game against East Texas A&M. The UTRGV duo placed ahead of football game day programs created by Clemson and Louisiana Tech. 
 
Goldberg and Ruiz planned, designed, and published game day programs for every home football game throughout UTRGV's inaugural season, mixing written content with photos, advertisements and game day information. They worked on tight turnaround deadlines week to week, coordinating with a number of units across the athletic department, university and community. Their work is now nationally recognized and will forever tell the story of the first football season in program history. 
 
Wednesday morning, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Claire Cruz spoke in a session titled "The ABCs of Writing with Stabley Award Winners." CSC holds the Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest every year and recognizes district and national winners in seven categories in the university and college divisions. Cruz has received 11 awards in the contest since 2023, including a national runner-up nod in the Social Justice/Diversity category in 2025 for her story on track & field alum Avianna Goode covering the 2024 US Olympic Trials with Black Women Photographers.
 
"Winning these awards is a testament to the incredible teams we've put together in communications and design at UTRGV Athletics," Goldberg said. "Claire consistently shows why she's one of the best storytellers in the nation and there are few who can match Maria's proficiency in design and attention to detail while achieving high quality work quickly. I consider myself fortunate to work with them and I am excited to see them recognized nationally for their hard work and dedication." 
 
Cruz earned two District 6 university division wins and one runner-up recognition when the 2025-26 district winners for the Stabley Award contest were announced in May. The nearly 500 stories submitted for consideration were all published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025. 


Cruz won the Athlete Profile category with the feature story detailing Djouvensky Schlenbaker's journey from Haiti to UTRGV and the Season Recap/Preview category with the story on the turnaround season men's tennis put together in 2025. Cruz's article on football's Troop O'Neal overcoming a near-death experience to participate in the inaugural season was the runner-up in the General Feature/Blog category. District 6 is comprised of all Div. I universities in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. 
 
Due to her consistency in the writing contest, Cruz was chosen by the CSC Professional Development and Education Committee to be a speaker at CSC Unite 26. She joined other regular honorees in the Stabley Writing Contest in a round-table session where the speakers answered questions about finding and writing stories, interviewing student-athletes and coaches, editing, content planning, and teaching students to write. Four of Cruz's awards have come in the Social Justice/Diversity category, so she was tasked with sharing additional tips and advice in navigating stories in that space and handling those subjects with care due to current legislation barriers regarding DEI. 
 
"It was humbling being asked to speak at the CSC Convention this year. I learned so much from the incredibly talented folks in our industry when I attended convention for the first time last summer, and being on the other side of the table this year was a rewarding experience," Cruz said. "I'm grateful for the recognition given to the stories that showcase how special UTRGV Athletics is and I'm looking forward to telling many more." 

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