PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Building off of a strong debut, the American Digital Network (ADN) today announced its Campus Connect correspondents for the 2017-18 year.
Once again, the initiative will provide aspiring journalists the opportunity to gain professional experience telling the unique stories of the American Athletic Conference’s 13 member institutions. The journalists were chosen from a competitive field of applicants and will begin contributing stories across the ADN’s platforms this fall.
The Campus Connect program debuted in 2016-17, with students submitting 103 features across the year. Those pieces generated over 480,000 views across The American’s digital platforms and were also utilized on local, regional and national broadcasts.
Based on each of The American’s 13 member institution campuses, the Campus Connect correspondents are provided equipment from the conference and will receive mentoring and feedback throughout the year. Two of the correspondents – Rachel O’Neil and Haydyn Gibson – are student-athletes, with O’Neil running track at USF and Gibson competing on Tulane’s golf team. Twelve of the correspondents are also current undergraduate students at their respective universities, enabling them to provide unique perspectives on the traditions and experiences throughout The American.
Among the previous experiences of the correspondents are internships at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Fox Sports, production assistant work on the Dan Patrick Show, and reporting for the United States Specialty Sports Association.
Complete backgrounds of the journalists and all of their American Digital Network broadcasts can be found at
TheAmerican.org/CampusConnect and on The American’s YouTube channel,
AmericanAthleticConf.
American Digital Network Campus Connect Correspondents
| University |
Correspondent |
| UCF |
Breanna Sorensen |
| Cincinnati |
Taylor D’Ambrosia |
| UConn |
Brandon Carney |
| East Carolina |
Blair Berry |
| Houston |
Karli Burghoff |
| Memphis |
TBA |
| Navy |
Lauryn Vickers |
| USF |
Rachel O’Neil |
| SMU |
Emmakate Few |
| Temple |
Alexa Ross |
| Tulane |
Haydyn Gibson |
| Tulsa |
Abby Krause |
| Wichita State |
Grant Cohen |
THE AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The American Athletic Conference (The American), a member of the NCAA, was reconstituted in 2013. With the conference office in Providence, Rhode Island, The American is comprised of the following institutions: UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Navy (in football only), USF, SMU, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa. Wichita State (basketball and Olympic sports) joined the Conference on July 1, 2017. Under the leadership of Commissioner Mike Aresco, The American sponsors 21 championships – 10 for men and 11 for women; is a member of the College Football Playoff; began new television partnerships with ESPN and CBS Sports in 2014; and has a marketing partnership with IMG College. For more information, please visit
www.TheAmerican.org.