SUPERIOR, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Superior and Yellowjacket Athletics have announced the addition of Christine Bjornstal to the athletic communication staff. Bjornstal was hired following a national search to fill the second year of the university's NCAA Division III Ethnic Minorities and Women in Sports Grant. Her first day on campus as a digital marketing and creative content specialist will be September 1.
 
Bjornstal replaces Nicole Wishard, who resigned in June following one year to accept a position in the athletic communications department at the University of Mississippi.
 
"Our department is very excited to add someone of Christine's caliber to our communications staff," said Yellowjacket Athletic Communications and External Relations Manager Jon Garver, who will oversee the position. "We have a plan in place with regard to the direction we want to take our department's communications efforts, and this position will play a major role in helping us reach our goals. We are very fortunate to have someone with Christine's skill set joining our team."

A native of River Falls, Wis., Bjornstal comes to UW-Superior after most recently serving in the sports department at News 8000 in La Crosse, Wis., where she sharpened her video production and editing skills as a sports photojournalist. She also spent more than a year as a production assistant with KSTP TV in Minneapolis, Minn.
 
Bjornstal gained valuable multimedia experience during a 2018 internship with the Northwoods League's Eau Claire Express baseball team, and later worked as a videographer at the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships. Additionally, she spent two years, including one as the sports director for Titan TV at UW-Oshkosh.
 
"I'm thrilled to become a part of Yellowjacket Athletics and cannot wait to connect the student-athletes, coaches, and Superior community," Bjornstal said. "Superior has a rich history of great sports teams and growing their commitment to digital media. I'm thankful for this opportunity that will kickstart my career in athletics."

Bjornstal earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications, with an emphasis in media studies from UW-Stevens Point in 2016. She furthered her education earning a second Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio-TV-Film from UW-Oshkosh in 2019.

The position within Yellowjacket Athletics is being funded by the NCAA Ethnic Minorities and Women in Sports Internship Grant. The Division III diversity grants provide grant funding to members committed to enhancing ethnic minority and gender representation in athletics administration and assistant coaching positions. UW-Superior's grant is a two-year grant, covering the 2020-21 and 2021-22 years.

More information on the NCAA Division III diversity grants is available here.