MANSFIELD, Pa. – Mansfield seniors Blaze Wood and Seth Neal were named the 2024-25 winners of the Steve McCloskey Service Award, the athletic communications and marketing office announced at the Mountie Awards ceremony on Wednesday (Apr. 30) afternoon.
Named in honor of longtime Mansfield Sports Information Director Steve McCloskey who retired during the spring of 2017, the award is presented annually to a student who embodies the Mansfield University spirit and provides exemplary service to the athletic department.
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Both served as student workers for the Athletic Communications & Marketing office, with Neal working all four years on the team and Wood serving three years as a worker. For the past two years, the pair have been seen as the senior workers, going above and beyond with their skills and qualities across all roles in the department. Their dedication on gamedays and in the office has not gone unnoticed, being key contributors in statistics, live streaming, and through content creation, all while being student-athletes.
Wood took the lead on Mountaineer TikTok content, while also expanding into multiple roles including photography and statistics, strengthening her skills and still being able to do her favorite job of public announcing at baseball and softball.
"Blaze has been one of the most trusted and determined workers we've ever had" said Director of athletic communications
Drew Patrick. "Her passion for her work has always put her above and beyond and her skills and abilities are unmatched".
Neal continued his major role as the head play-by-play announcer for Mountie All-Access live streaming and grew his abilities in other areas such as statistics and content creation.
"Seth stands out in the office as the first person to offer assistance and his pride for Mansfield is unmatched." Patrick stated. "He helped elevate our operation to a higher standard and provided skills that will be hard to match".
Wood graduated with a 3.12 GPA as a major in media and journalism. The Towanda, Pa. native landed on the Dean's List twice times and was the intern in the fall semester of 2023. Neal graduated as a communications major with a 3.12 GPA. From Westfield, Pa., he appeared on the Dean's List five times and interned the fall semester of 2022.
