Kent State Athletics Pair Earned Designer of the Year Honors from College Sports Communicators
6/11/2026 6:00:00 PM | General
Ridenhour, Vazquez Win Respective Graduate Assistant and Student Worker Categories at CSC Unite 2026
KENT, Ohio — Kent State Athletics creative graduate assistant Will Ridenhour and student designer Estefany Vazquez were named Designer of the Year award winners by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) at the organization's annual Creative & Digital Design Contest, it was announced Wednesday following the Special Events Luncheon at CSC Unite 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ridenhour earned Designer of the Year honors in the Division I University Graduate Assistant category, while Vazquez claimed the award in the Division I University Student Worker category.
"I'm extremely proud of Will and Estefany as they are both deserving of the recognition, given the amount of time they put into their work," said assistant athletics director for communications, Josh Padilla. "Both of them earning this award shows the caliber of design talent that we have at Kent State University."
The 2025-26 CSC Creative & Digital Design Contest set a record for participation for the third consecutive year, drawing 2,565 total entries.
"Once again, this contest continues to be the premier opportunity in our industry to recognize the creativity, innovation and talent of the CSC membership, and showcase the best our profession has to offer in the content creation space as decided by their peers," said contest chair Patrick Murphy of the Colorado School of Mines.
Ridenhour and Vazquez were selected from a pool of finalists honored at the Special Awards Luncheon at the Mandalay Bay Resort, with winners determined by their peers in the collegiate athletics communications industry.
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