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Penn State Comm and Broadcasting students, including Cora Rodriguez (left) and Alec Brown and Evan Smith (far right), who worked the 2025 PSUAC Basketball Championship games at the Bryce Jordan Center are shown posing after the day's completion.
Penn State Comm and Broadcasting students, including Cora Rodriguez (left) and Alec Brown and Evan Smith (far right), who worked the 2025 PSUAC Basketball Championship games at the Bryce Jordan Center are shown posing after the day's completion.
Penn State Comm and Broadcasting students, including Cora Rodriguez (left) and Alec Brown and Evan Smith (far right), who worked the 2025 PSUAC Basketball Championship games at the Bryce Jordan Center are shown posing after the day's completion.
Posted: May 08, 2026

University Park Students Help Drive PSUAC Championships, Weekly Awards Through Classroom and Work Experiences

This story was written as part of a partnership between the PSUAC and a sports information class at University Park.

By Claire Zubey

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Junior broadcast journalism student Cora Rodriguez discovered the Penn State Athletic Conference (PSUAC) through the student organization CommRadio. Rodriguez's first championship game coverage was during her sophomore year, at the PSUAC basketball championship. Rodriguez said she arrived at the game excited to contribute, despite not having a voice after spending a weekend working other events.

“The first experience was really great. I've worked in athletics before, but seeing it in a different light and learning about how versatile the Penn State branch campuses are has been really special,” Rodriguez said. “I also have enjoyed meeting other campus student-athletes who are not just University Park students.”

Rodriguez immediately became a key contributor to the PSUAC conference coverage, taking on a hands-on role running the conference's social media page during its championship events. She has now worked four championship tournaments, including each of the last two for basketball.

“The fact that they let me run their accounts and are trusting me in that is such a cool opportunity,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez assists with capturing videos and photos, as well as using graphic design to create content for PSUAC Championship events.

Rodriguez said her experience with PSUAC has given her the opportunity to have significant control over an athletic conference's social media accounts, something few college students experience.

"We trust the student's to be professional and organized, and we know the experience they're getting in the classroom is top-notch, so we trust them to contribute in so many different ways," said PSUAC Commissioner Ryan Ehrie.

The PSUAC serves as the official conference for Penn State Commonwealth Campuses. The conference is home to 13 members and 10 championship sports across the Penn State campus system, serving as an opportunity to showcase talented student-athletes throughout the state.

Another major contributor to conference coverage is broadcast journalism student Joey Draper. Draper began working with the PSUAC during his freshman year at Penn State Lehigh Valley. Draper's involvement continued as he transferred to University Park through the 2+2 program.

During his time with the PSUAC, Draper has done commentary for both men's and women's basketball championships, soccer championships, and sideline reporting for women's volleyball.

“One of my favorite experiences was covering the Penn State Lehigh Valley Soccer Championship,” Draper said. “I was on that team for two years, so getting to be on call for that game was a great experience,” Drapher said.

Draper also contributes to the PSUAC weekly conference podcast, which he joined in his junior year after transferring to University Park. He co-hosts the show alongside fellow students Alec Brown and Evan Smith. The podcast provides updates on weekly team performance, records, and statistics, and shares exciting stories throughout the season.

Draper has elevated the podcast by creating his own segment called “Extra Time” in the PSUAC this past fall.

“It's a cool thing that initially started with soccer. In soccer, they don't call it overtime; they call it extra time. The segment has expanded to basketball and now has continued with spring sports,” Draper said.

Throughout the academic year, PSUAC works closely with students in the Bellisario College of Communications, specifically with students and classes included in the John Curley sports journalism and broadcasting programs. This collaboration has allowed the conference to expand coverage and visibility. Students can gain work experience through their passions, with hands-on opportunities in live game broadcasting, photography, and digital media coverage.

The Bellisario College offers multiple John Curley Sports Journalism and sports studies courses in collaboration with the PSUAC. This includes a sports information course, which worked with the PSUAC to give classrooms the opportunity to evaluate conference nominations for the PSUAC Player of the Week.

The class is placed in charge of researching and analyzing player or team statistics throughout each season, and selecting the player they feel is most deserving of the award.

“The perspective of broadening the number of people who win the award and avoiding repeat winners is something I implemented into my selections,” said Michela Barbanente, a student in this semester's sports information course.

Throughout this semester-long opportunity, students are able to learn more about the PSUAC conference while having the opportunity to highlight top teams and athletes in the conference.

The PSUAC continues a long partnership with Bellisario College of Communications, allowing for students and university classes to gain real-world insight into the sports industry. Through continuous collaboration, students are able to capture and expand PSUAC conference coverage, showcasing the many successful conference games.

"We've always prided ourselves on being student-centered and being a learning environment," added Ehrie. "I had great opportunities when I was a student at Penn State and Tennessee, interning or working in various departments within athletics. I wanted to create those same types of career experiences for students while also providing additional exposure for our wonderful student-athletes and coaches. It's been incredible to meet so many people and build on these partnerships each year."