Stockwell, the man behind the stats
All Castleton State College student athletes, employers, fans and anyone else who has entered the Spartan Athletic Complex knows the face of Ben Stockwell.
Stockwell is director of Athletic Communications at Castleton and has been since March of 2013. He was promoted to the position after working as the Associate Sports Information Director. Prior to both these jobs, Stockwell was a graduate assistant at Castleton.
He is in charge of sports press releases, updating sports on the school website and social media sites, covering games and taking down stats – and he does it seven days a week.
He graduated from Ithaca College in 2008 with a degree in sports media and minor in marketing and writing.
Stockwell spent two years as athletic communications assistant for the University of Pennsylvania and interned at Stonehill College and Dartmouth College.
"Make your internships count. There are thousands of kids with the same degree, what makes your stand out?" Stockwell said offering a bit of advice to students.
Senior communication major Eric Dowd interns with Stockwell in the athletics office and spoke about the professionalism expected.
"He wants my work done very well, he won’t settle for ok," said Dowd.
Stockwell admits building a resume can be hard, but he said will pay off in the end, as it did for him.
His favorite part of the job is working with the student athletes.
"Seeing the success of student athletes on the field at championships is one of the most rewarding parts about my job," Stockwell said.
He specifically recalls three years ago when both men’s and women’s basketball teams won titles.
"The crowd and team spirits were remarkable that day," he said.
Senior field hockey player Rachel Preusser said athletes appreciate all the work Stockwell does.
"Ben cares a lot about Castleton sports and is always willing to put in effort to help the athletes. He did a lot for us on the field hockey team and I know that I speak on behalf of the team that we appreciated everything he did for us," Preusser said.
Stockwell currently serves as the principal contact for all Castleton’s 20 varsity sports.
Another appreciative student athlete is captain of the girls lacrosse team Sarah Clark.
"Ben works with the website and Twitter and Facebook constantly updating about our team and others. He helps spread the word about our games, but also recognizes us for other things we have done on and off the field," Clark said.
Stockwell admits his work can be a little stressful at times with games happening all year round and all days of the week, but he said it’s all very worth it.
"My office is the Spartan Stadium, how more lucky can I get?" Stockwell said.