The University of Indianapolis will not print preseason media guides for any of its 21 varsity sports, announced today by Director of Athletics Dr. Sue Willey.   The move will save the school thousands of dollars in printing and will allow an opportunity to build on new web and marketing projects that will benefit fans, media and recruits alike.

 "The media guide served two primary purposes, to meet the needs of our broadcasters and journalists as well as aid in recruiting," said Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information Mitch Wigness.  "When those can now be better fulfilled through the web and other avenues, then the printed version becomes more and more obsolete.    We are at that point."

 While the printed guides will no longer be available, the information is still available at athletics.uindy.edu.  Student-athlete bios, statistics, records, game recaps and much more are available in addition to new ventures to produce more live events via video webcasts and television partnerships.

"When schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Marshall, among others moved swiftly to eliminate printed guides, it gives you a sense of where this issue is heading," Willey said.  "Recruits are so much more web-savvy and media are already used to checking the website for updated information, so it is the next logical step to focus on improving our web presence.  Measure in the benefits in cost savings and environmental effects and it becomes a no-brainer."

UIndy, who competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) at the NCAA Division II level, will still produce limited quantities of media information for teams that qualify for postseason play and will produce preseason prospectus materials for media use.

Contact: Mitch Wigness