CORVALLIS, Ore. – For the second consecutive year, Southern Oregon University’s Josh McDermott and Isaac Fernandez were named the 2025-26 Cascade Collegiate Conference Mike Booth College Sport Communicators (CSC) Staff of the Year, announced by the conference office.
“Congratulations to Josh and Isaac for earning this honor,” stated Courtney Blumer, CCC Director of Communications. “Their commitment to showcasing Southern Oregon student-athletes and enhancing championship events continues to raise the standard across the conference. This recognition is well deserved.”
The College Sport Communicators of the CCC vote on the annual award, recognizing outstanding work with CCC and NAIA championship events, promotion, publicity, and marketing efforts. The award is named in honor of the late conference and district sports information director Mike Booth.
McDermott, Southern Oregon’s Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information, is in his 13th year with the Raiders and earns the honor for the fourth time in his career. Fernandez, now in his second year as Assistant Sports Information Director, continued to play a vital role in the department’s communications efforts, contributing to content creation, event operations, media relations, and digital storytelling.
Together, the duo once again delivered exceptional coverage and support for Southern Oregon Athletics while helping showcase the achievements of Raider student-athletes on the conference and national stages.
Their efforts were especially visible during another busy championship season as Southern Oregon hosted CCC Championships in men's and women's soccer, beach volleyball, women's wrestling, and track and field multis, in addition to hosting an NAIA Softball Opening Round bracket. The staff managed extensive event coverage, media operations, digital content, and championship promotion throughout the year.
McDermott's work was recognized nationally with a Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest award for Best Event Coverage in the College Division, which includes all NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III institutions across the country. He also earned a District 8 Fred Stabley Sr. award while helping spotlight Southern Oregon's success throughout the year.
In addition to the national writing recognition, Southern Oregon earned top-five finishes in four categories of the NAIA-SIDA Publications Contest, further demonstrating the quality and consistency of the department's communications efforts.
Throughout the year, Fernandez played an invaluable role in supporting the department's daily operations while helping manage championship events, content creation, and media responsibilities. His continued growth and contributions have made him an integral part of Southern Oregon's communications team.
The Raiders' communications efforts highlighted five top-seven national finishes while continuing to enhance the department's digital presence. Southern Oregon's social media following increased by 25 percent during the academic year, reflecting the staff's commitment to innovative storytelling and audience engagement.
“The work that Josh and Isaac put together this year was outstanding,” stated Mike Safford, Oregon Tech Director of Sports Information and longtime respected CSC. “Hosting multiple conference championships along with the NAIA Opening Round tournament in softball is not an easy task. They were flawless, along with putting out stellar coverage across multiple platforms. It was another great year for the SOU athletic communications staff.”
This year's CCC CSC Staff of the Year honor reflects the outstanding work, innovation, and dedication demonstrated by McDermott and Fernandez as they continue to elevate Southern Oregon Athletics and the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
As the conference winner, McDermott will advance to the NAIA National SID of the Year ballot.