New Brighton, Minnesota – The National Wrestling Media Association is proud to announce the recipients of its annual media and journalism awards for the 2023-24 coverage season.

Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Klingman, Sam Janicki, TheMat.com, Baschamania, Leandra Harasta and Madie Brink are this year’s group of awards recipients.

“I’m thrilled with our voter turnout, with over 70 percent of the membership taking the time to vote for their peers,” said NWMA President Jason Bryant. “Three categories were incredibly close, reflecting the exceptional quality of all the finalists. This year’s group is well deserving of their recognition, as were all the finalists.”

“The Class of 2024 award recipients have demonstrated excellence in their respective fields of media and have provided invaluable contributions to help shape the narrative of wrestling over the past year. On behalf of the NWMA, I’m proud to recognize these individuals’ achievements and am thankful for their leadership within our sport,” said Richard Immel, NWMA Vice President.

Broadcaster of the Year – Jordan Burroughs, ESPN/NBC Sports
World and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs provided color commentary for two of the biggest championships in the world – the NCAA Division I championships and the Olympic Games. Burroughs was alongside ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Mike Couzens and fellow Olympian and analyst Daniel Cormier on ESPN’s broadcast of the NCAA championships.  He joined longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Jason Knapp for the Olympic Games. This is Burroughs’ first award from the NWMA.

Journalist of the Year – Kyle Klingman, Flosports
One of the most respected writers in the sport for over two decades, Kyle Klingman created a college wrestling women’s beat at Flowrestling that is unmatched in the sport. Weekly recaps, recruiting information and now a weekly video podcast with longtime women’s wrestling supporter and parent Scott Beck are all part of Klingman’s arsenal. Klingman also routinely features interviews from notable names across all age levels in women’s wrestling. Klingman was previously named WIN Magazine’s Journalist of the Year in 2008.

Photographer of the Year – Sam Janicki, SJanicki Photo
A diligent, consistent and active shooter, Sam Janicki edged a very competitive field of finalists to win his second Photographer of the Year award from the NWMA. In addition to being a dynamic and prolific shooter, Janicki also goes the extra mile with the sport’s media, providing access to his shots with gallery links sent out before events he works, giving editors and sports information directors one less thing to worry about when their teams are at events. Janicki previously won the award for his work in the 2017-18 season.

Outlet of the Year – TheMat.com
Everything within wrestling is amplified during an Olympic year, and with more eyeballs on the sport now than ever before, USA Wrestling invested in expanding its coverage on TheMat.com and associated digital platforms to tell the stories of Team USA athletes and increase the visibility on wrestling during its showcase event that only comes around once every four years.  USA Wrestling provided on-site coverage of every Olympic Games qualifying event for Team USA during the 2023-24 season, both on a national level and international level, as well as unprecedented behind-the-scenes coverage with the Olympic Team on the ground in France leading up to and during the Olympic Games. It has expanded its digital media presence with added staff and resourcing for photography, videography and public relations efforts. This is the third NWMA award for TheMat.com. It previously won Website of the Year in 2000 and 2003.

Podcast of the Year – Baschamania
What’s become one of the most competitive awards since its inception in 2019-20, Baschamania edged a quality group of finalists by the slimmest of margins to come away as this year’s winner. Founded and hosted by New York native Justin Basch, Baschamania has been a consistent voice offering recaps and opinion on Division I and international wrestling as well as interviews with notable names in and around the sport. Basch is routinely joined by Willie Saylor as a show co-host. Saylor has won multiple awards in the past from the NWMA. Past NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State has also served as a previous co-host. This is Baschamania’s first NWMA award.

Division I SID of the Year – Leandra Harasta, University of Iowa
Leandra Harasta, University of Iowa Assistant Director of Strategic Communications, is this year’s winner of the Division I SID of the Year. The NWMA has long recognized the work of women in wrestling, but for the first time, this award is being awarded to an athletic communications professional with the primary focus of a women’s wrestling program. In an industry with consistent personnel changes, getting a great wrestling SID can often be the key difference in the amount of coverage a team receives on a national level. Harasta hasn’t wasted any time jumping in feet first and neither has her Hawkeye women’s program. In addition to women’s wrestling, Harasta also handles communications for the Hawkeyes’ gymnastics and softball teams. This is Harasta’s first award from the NWMA, but the University of Iowa has won the category four previous times.

Small College SID of the Year – Madie Brink, University of Sioux Falls
The University of Sioux Falls brought back men’s wrestling at the start of the 2023-24 season and with it, they also launched a women’s wrestling program. The Small College SID of the Year is Madie Brink, who handles both teams in the same season for the Cougars athletics program. Outside of Division I, athletics communications professionals are often tasked with small shops, limited staff and multiple sports a season, creating a work environment with long trips and even longer hours. In handling both sports from their birth and rebirth at the school, Brink has provided exceptional and prompt coverage of the wrestling programs at the Division II institution. This is Brink’s first award from the NMWA as well as the first for the University of Sioux Falls.

The National Wrestling Media Association will release more award winners next week, recognizing individual achievements with the organization’s Spotlight Awards and honoring individuals with a lifetime of dedication to the sport via media coverage with the Jay Hammond Memorial Service Award.

Process and Structure: All active members of the National Wrestling Media Association are eligible and encouraged to nominate outlets and individuals for the annual awards following the completion of the fall international season. Once those nominations are collected, the NWMA’s officers will select 5-6 finalist per category and then the active members will then vote on those finalists to determine a winner. Each member vote is weighted the same.

About the National Wrestling Media Association
The National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA) is the national professional organization for journalists who cover the sport of amateur wrestling. This includes reporters, editors, publishers, webmasters, photographers, broadcasters, sports information directors and other media professionals who share an interest and involvement in the sport.

The NWMA represents the interests of journalists within the sport of wrestling. It shall be a resource for its members for networking and information sharing. In addition, the NWMA will strive to support the growth of wrestling and its position within the sports world and the general public by developing more quality coverage of the sport through all available media outlets. A focus on the history of the world’s oldest sport and accuracy in reporting on wrestling is the foundation of the organization’s mission. For information on membership and lists of past winners and resources provided by the association, visit nationalwrestlingmedia.com or follow on X.com at @MediaWrestle and Facebook at fb.com/nationalwrestlingmedia.