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University of California, Santa Barbara

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The purpose of the Athletic Communications office is to connect fans, media and all other external stakeholders with UC Santa Barbara Athletics and to publicize the activities and accomplishments of its scholar-athletes, teams and the department as a whole. The Athletic Communications staff works closely to facilitate requests from media members, and provides the latest releases, statistics and information about UC Santa Barbara Athletics to the media and public. Our staff will do their best to accommodate all reasonable requests.

In addition to its communications efforts, the Athletic Communications office plays a vital role in managing and growing the department’s digital media presence across multiple platforms. The team is responsible for creating and curating engaging content that highlights student-athlete achievements, promotes upcoming events, and enhances the overall brand of UC Santa Barbara Athletics.

COMMUNICATIONS ALUMNI

UC Santa Barbara Athletics is proud to provide students with hands-on experience as they pursue careers in sports media. Below are students who spent time as a student worker or intern and secured their first job after graduation.

CLICK HER FOR INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
NameYears as Student / InternRole at UC Santa BarbaraNext Immediate RoleCurrent Role
Molly Donaldson2022-2024Student Athletic Communications Assistant (XC/TF)Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant at TulaneAssistant Director for Athletic Communications at UC Santa Barbara
Lauren Barnhart2022-2024Student Athletic Communications Assistant (M/WSwim)Junior Associate at ActumAssociate at Actum
Gracie Cunningham2023-2025Student Athletic Communications Assistant (M/WTEN)Marketing Coordinator at Merry MaidsMarketing Operations Analyst at Nomad
Nayeli Torres2024Athletic Communications InternPegula Ice Arena Facilities and Operations InternUSA Football Events and Program Experience Intern
Julia Henning2024-2025Student Athletic Communications Assistant (M/WTEN)Graduate Assistant, Sports Brands & Communications at USCSame
Rory Christiansen2023-2025Student Athletic Communications Assistant (M/WSwim)Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant at PepperdineSame
Max Combs2022-2025Student Athletic Communications Assistant (XC/TF)Athletic Communications Assistant at Cal Poly HumboldtSame
Annabelle Persaud2024-2026Athletic Communications Social Media Intern (M/WTEN)Los Angeles Dodgers Blue CrewSame
Sam Halloran2024-2026Athletic Communications Social Media Intern (MSOC/Golf)Sales & Partnerships Coordinator at Trailblazing Sports GroupSame

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The following are policies and procedures for members of the media wishing to cover UC Santa Barbara Athletics. Policies may vary by sport.


PRESS & PHOTOGRAPHER CREDENTIALING

UC Santa Barbara welcomes coverage of all its home sporting events from accredited writers, photographers and broadcast media outlets. All requests for working press, photo and/or broadcast credentials must be submitted to the appropriate contact within the Athletic Communications office at least 48 hours before the contest. Contact information is provided below. Press and photographer media credentials will be issued to members of the working media only. Credential requests for official team photographers not associated with a specific media outlet must be made by the visiting team's Athletic Communications staff. UC Santa Barbara reserves the right to deny any requests that do not adhere to this policy. Unless otherwise specified or requested, credentials will be left at the player pass entrance and are non-transferable.

 

INTERVIEW REQUESTS

All interview requests for members of the UC Santa Barbara Athletics staff or its student-athletes and coaches must be made through the Athletic Communications office. Contact information is provided below. Please allow 24 hours for a response to each request, though the Athletic Communications office handles each inquiry as quickly as possible. All forms of media should provide 48 hours of advanced notice for interview requests whenever possible to allow the Athletic Communications staff to arrange a time that will respect each student-athlete's academic and competition schedules. At no time will the home or cell phone number of a student-athlete be released to the media, and we ask all media outlets to respect this policy and the privacy of our athletes and coaches. In the case of telephone interview requests, the Athletic Communications staff will arrange for the student-athlete to contact the requesting media member.

 

HOME GAME MEDIA SERVICES

The Athletic Communications office will provide game notes, statistics and team rosters before each contest. A full box score and other applicable game material will be distributed at halftime and at the end of the game.

 

EMAIL

Releases, game notes and advisories are e-mailed to media that cover UC Santa Barbara on a regular basis. To be added to the e-mail list for a particular sport, media should contact the communications representative responsible for that sport.
 

ONLINE

All sports will have updated bios, notes, rosters, schedules, statistics, etc., available throughout the season on ucsbgauchos.com. Specific information not readily available on the website may be available through the communications representative responsible for that sport. Contact information is below.

 

PRESS BOX AND SIDELINE ACCESS

Only credentialed members of the media, coaches, league officials and designated administrators will be allowed in the press box area. UC Santa Barbara adheres to a strict conduct policy, and cheering in the press area, press box or on the sideline is expressly prohibited. Photographers who wish to shoot from the sideline must request access and must have the appropriate clearance to be permitted inside the area of competition. Photographers are required to comply with all NCAA, Big West, MPSF and UC Santa Barbara polices for shooting locations. Failure to comply will result in confiscation of credentials.


PRESS ROW SERVICES

The Athletic Communications office will provide game notes, statistics and team rosters prior to each contest. A full box score and other applicable game material will be distributed at halftime/quarters and at the end of the game.

APPLY FOR MEDIA CREDENTIALS FOR THE 2025-26 SEASON AT THE BUTTON BELOW

CREDENTIAL REQUESTS

STAFF

Name / Title

Sport Assignments

Nick Mathey (nick.mathey@athletics.ucsb.edu) - Associate Athletic Director, Communications & Digital Strategy

WSOC, MBB, Golf, SB, Secondary M/WTEN

Eric Boose (eric.boose@athletics.ucsb.edu) - Assistant Communications Director

MSOC, MWP, WWP, BASE

Molly Donaldson (molly.donaldson@athletics.ucsb.edu) - Assistant Communications Director

WVB, WBB, MVB, Secondary XC/TF and Swim

Siena Duong (sienaduong@ucsb.edu) - Athletic Communications Student Assistant

M/WTEN

Meagan Kennedy (meagankennedy@ucsb.edu) - Athletic Communications Student Assistant

XC/TF

Ryson Kirkland (rysonkirkland@ucsb.edu) - Athletic Communications Student Assistant

Swim

QUICK FACTS

Chancellor: Dennis Assanis

Arnhold Director of Athletics: Kelly Barsky

SWA: Ashlee Klingenberg

Founded: 1891

Enrollment: 24,673 (Data from 2023-24 Academic Year)

Conference: The Big West

Colors: Blue and Gold

Nickname: Gauchos