SUPERIOR, Wis. – Ryan Castaneda, sports information manager for Yellowjacket Athletics, has been selected to attend the 2026 NCAA Division III Athletic Communicators Emerging Elite Program, the NCAA has announced.
 
A native of San Pedro, Calif., Castaneda is in his fourth year working in athletic communications at UW-Superior and is one of just 30 athletic communications professionals across the United States selected to participate in the program.
 
"Ryan is an integral part of our marketing team, helping lead our sports information efforts and contributing to our game-day operations. His work plays an important role in telling the story of our teams and enhancing the student-athlete experience," UW-Superior Athletics Director Nick Bursik said. "We are excited to see him recognized through this opportunity and look forward to supporting his continued professional growth and development."
 
Launched in 2024, the NCAA Division III Athletic Communicators Emerging Elite Program is a professional development initiative, created in partnership with D3SIDA and College Sports Communicators. The program supports the advancement of the next generation of athletics communication leaders in NCAA Division III.
 
Participants engage in a series of interactive leadership sessions, team-management and collaboration exercises and discussions on the evolving landscape of athletics communication. The experience also includes in-person networking, skill building workshops and a complimentary one-time registration to the College Sports Communicators Convention the following June.

"I am incredibly honored and grateful to have been nominated and selected for this program. I'm looking forward to developing relationships with colleagues across Division III who are committed to their roles and further enhancing my professional development," Castaneda said.
 
Castaneda, a power-hitting first baseman who spent five seasons playing with the Yellowjacket baseball team, began working in athletic communications during his time as a student at UW-Superior.
 
"It's rare to have a student employee who views working with our communications and sports information team as anything more than a paycheck. It's even more rare to have someone not only want to do it but dive in with both feet. That was Ryan from day one. His talents were evident from the beginning," said Jon Garver, former athletic communications director at UW-Superior. "He had a tremendous work ethic, was eager to learn everything he could and truly wanted to be part of things long-term with us. I learned very early on that Ryan was someone I could lean on and I gave him a lot of responsibility as a student."
 
In 2025, Garver became a major gift officer with the UW-Superior Alumni and Friends Foundation, opening the door for Castaneda to take over leadership of the communications team.

"There was no doubt in my mind that, when I made the transition from athletics over to advancement, that the communications team was in great hands with Ryan in charge, and he has done nothing but exceed expectations," Garver said. "He's destined for big things in this profession."
 
An exercise science major who graduated from UW-Superior in 2022, Castaneda spent a year working in admissions at UW-Superior before moving into his current role in July 2023.
 
The 2026 NCAA Division III Athletic Communicators Emerging Elite Program is scheduled to take place December 6-8 at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.