Oct. 6, 2004
Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich announced today the hiring of Chris Graziano and Jessica Siegel as Assistant Media Relations Directors.
"Both individuals are young, energetic and bring with them valuable Division I media relations experience from either the conference or institutional level," Femovich said. "Their individual and collective talents will complement the work of the League office and we welcome them to our staff."
Graziano joins the Patriot League this year as Assistant Media Relations Director. He will serve as the primary League contact for football, basketball and various other League sports. In addition to his media relation duties, he will contribute to the League's championship administration and to the League's branding and public relations initiatives.
Graziano graduated from Villanova in 2003 with a bachelor of arts degree in communication and earned a minor in business. The Hamilton, New Jersey native played intercollegiate baseball at Villanova.
Prior to joining the PL staff, Graziano worked as a writer/editor for The Sports Network and free-lanced for The Times of Trenton (N.J.) newspaper. He also completed internships at MLB.com and for Villanova's athletic media relations office. Graziano resides in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
Siegel joins the Patriot League staff after completing a year as the Northeast Conference administrative intern. In her post there she handled media relations efforts for five of the league's sponsored sports, provided support at championship events and televised basketball games and assisted in day-to-day operations. She also conducted student-athlete interviews and wrote articles for the conference's quarterly newsletter.
The Dayton, N.J., native earned her bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Ramapo College in May 2003. During her time there she served as the assistant to the sports information director.
She is currently completing her master's degree in Sports and Recreation Administration from Temple University.
Prior to her time at the Northeast Conference, Siegel spent two summers as the promotions and group sales intern at the Somerset Patriots, an independent minor league baseball team based out of Central New Jersey.
The Patriot League, which was founded on the principles of admitting athletes who are academically representative of their class, is in its second decade of academic and athletic excellence. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of the undergraduate experience. The Patriot League, which began as a successful Division I-AA football conference in 1986 and became an all-sport conference in 1990, includes American, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy as full members and three associate members. These institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation and their alumni have played leadership roles in the shaping of our country. In the most recent NCAA Graduation Rate Report of student-athletes, the Patriot League ranked FIRST among NCAA Division I conferences.
More information may be obtained by contacting the Patriot League office at (610) 289-1950 or the League website at www.patriotleague.com.