The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) has announced the top three institutions in each group that will be recognized for their marketing efforts in the 2025-2026 year. One team in each group will be named the 2026 Marketing Team of the Year.

In its fourteenth year, the nominations for the Marketing Team of the Year Award span across a diverse amount of divisions throughout our Association's membership. The NACMA Marketing Team of the Year Award was created to show the type of impact that a marketing team has, not only in the athletics department, but on campus and surrounding communities as well. The finalists for this award were carefully selected by NACMA members, board members, and past presidents. 

"The Marketing Team of the Year award is the highest honor a member institution can earn," said Zach Dayton, 2025-26 NACMA President and Assistant Vice President/Deputy Athletics Director at Fairfield University. "The award recognizes the outstanding work our members are doing to elevate their campuses, drive revenue, engage their communities, and advance the profession through innovation and creativity. We're proud to recognize the exceptional submissions received this year."

"This is a tremendous honor," said Associate Athletics Director Jon Wepking.  "This being the fourth consecutive year we've been named a finalist shows that what we're doing here with our GO! TEAM internship program is sustainable long-term.  A giant thank you to our students, athletes, staff, and partners who make all of this possible."

The 2026 Marketing Team of the Year top three in each group submissions include:
 

Group 1
	University of Maryland
	Vanderbilt University
	Virginia Tech
Group 2
	Creighton University
	Depaul University
	Southeast Missouri State University
Group 3
	Grand Valley State University
	Minnesota State Moorhead
	West Texas A&M University

 

The Awards Ceremony will take place on Monday, June 8 starting at 9 a.m. ET, after opening remarks from NACMA leadership and before the Keynote Session. The ceremony will announce the winners of the 2026 'Best Of' awards along with the 2026 Marketing Team of the Year.

For questions, please contact Nick Strah in the NACDA Office.