Campus Recreation Employees Honored by Professional Collegiate Recreation Organization

Mon, 03/21/2022 - 12:02pm | By: April Jordan

Southern Miss Campus Recreation employees (left to right) Eduardo Hernandez Escobar, Sammy Ahlrichs, Joshua Brunson, and J.C. Miller were recently recognized with honors from the NIRSA collegiate recreation professional organization.

Several University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Campus Recreation students and professional staff members have been recognized for their achievements by the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), the professional association for collegiate recreation.

USM senior Eduardo Hernandez Escobar was selected a recipient of the William N. Wasson Student Leadership and Academic Award. The Wasson Award recognizes exceptional undergraduate and graduate students who are employed by their campus recreation departments and set a standard of excellence inside and outside of the classroom.

Hernandez Escobar joined the Campus Recreation team in January 2021 and works as one of the Welcome Center student staff members at the Payne Center. He was one of six students selected for the award within the region.

Two Southern Miss Campus Recreation graduate assistants were also recognized by NIRSA for their achievements. Sammy Ahlrichs, Graduate Assistant of Aquatics and Outdoor Adventures, and J.C. Miller, Graduate Assistant of Intramural and Club Sports, were both recipients of the Region II endowed conference scholarship. This scholarship recognizes excellence in the field of collegiate recreation and covers their registration costs for the NIRSA Annual Conference held in Portland, Ore.

Both Ahlrichs and Miller joined Southern Miss Campus Recreation in July 2020 and are pursuing master's degrees in sports marketing.

Joshua Brunson, Intramural and Club Sports Coordinator for Southern Miss Campus Recreation was also recognized by NIRSA and awarded the Region II Travel Grant. This grant covers travel costs associated with attending the NIRSA Annual Conference in Portland. Travel grants are awarded to members at all stages of their career to help with learning, innovating, and networking experiences available at the national conference. Brunson is the sole recipient of a travel grant within the region.

Each recipient will be recognized at the NIRSA Annual Conference March 29-April 1 in Portland, Ore.