Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Hutchinson Community College Sports Information Director Steve Carpenter has been named the 2020 recipient of the NJCAA Mary Ellen Leicht Service Award, the national office announced on Wednesday.
Hired in 2004, Carpenter is the first sports information director in the long and storied history of Blue Dragon Athletics. Before coming to HutchCC, Carpenter covered Blue Dragon Athletics as Sports Editor of The Hutchinson News from 1995 to 2003.
"Steve Carpenter is as good as they come as a sports information director," Blue Dragon Athletic Director Josh Gooch said. "He is respected locally and nationally. Events that Hutchinson Community College puts on or are hosted by on our campus benefit from having Steve on staff."
In addition to his duties as Blue Dragon Sports Information Director for 14 intercollegiate athletic teams, Carpenter also serves as president of the Jayhawk Conference Sports Information Directors Association.
Over the past 16 years as Blue Dragon SID, Carpenter has worked several Jayhawk Conference and Region VI events – including official scorer for Region VI baseball and stats for Region VI basketball tournaments. Carpenter also serves as KJCCC men's golf official scorer as well as working in several capacities for Region VI volleyball, cross country, track and field and soccer tournaments.
Carpenter is part of the NJCAA Men's Basketball Tournament statistics committee and has been directly involved with the NJCAA Salt City Bowl, the NJCAA Division I Track and Field Championships in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 and the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Carpenter also has a multitude of duties for the KSHSAA state football, basketball and volleyball championships that are contested in Hutchinson each year.
"His ability to do so many tasks at a high level make him the go-to person for a wide range of needs," Gooch said. "Steve is a kind man that makes time for all and truly works hour upon hour to make sure all student athletes, coaches and teams get the recognition they deserve. The most unselfish part is he does it for those not only at Hutchinson Community College but our conference, region and NJCAA as a whole."
Founded in 1959, the NJCAA Service Award is the most tenured honor handed out by the Association. It is given to those - most often not an athlete - who have made significant contributions to two-year college athletics on a national level for an extended period of time.
In 2017, the NJCAA renamed the honor to the Mary Ellen Leicht Service Award in recognition of the 28 years of dedicated service by its third Executive Director, who became the first female chief executive of not only the NJCAA but of any national collegiate athletic organization in the United States. After nearly three decades with the Association, Leicht retired from the NJCAA in 2017.