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The Department of Sport Management hosted its senior banquet and awards ceremony on April 29 recognizing high-achieving sport management majors for their accomplishments, service and perseverance.

Following a brief welcome from Cedar Zobel-Williams ’24 that playfully ribbed faculty members, ���ϲ����� alumnus Nick Markunas ’15 offered attendees in Snow Family Grand Atrium career advice and delved into his own professional journey.

Banquet photos are available on the .

Today, Markunas serves as the partnership, community and event marketing manager for CPI Security, overseeing the execution of sponsorship assets for seven MiLB organizations and nine NCAA institutions, including UNC, Duke, NC State and ���ϲ�����.

But the former sport and event management major’s introduction to the sport industry began thanks to his father. Years ago, at a publicity event following the Washington Commanders’ decision to move its training camp to Richmond, Virginia – where Markunas was from – his father met the director of the organization’s charitable foundation, who shared their email address.

“My dad jotted it down and later handed it to me and said, ‘Your move,’” the younger Markunas recalled. “So, I reached out. I sent just a cold email and said, ‘Hey … I’m free labor for the summer.’”

It worked and he landed an internship. And he got an invite back the following summer. Thanks to his relationships with the Washington franchise, Markunas secured a post-graduation internship with the Carolina Panthers’ community relations department during the organization’s 2015 Super Bowl run.

Following that lone season in Charlotte, he landed a full-time position as community relations manager with the Oakland/ Las Vegas Raiders, where he developed, planned and executed events for NFL initiatives, such as Salute to Service, Crucial Catch, My Cause My Cleats and Make-A-Wish. He handled player recruitment for all internal and external partner requests. He served in the role for five years – four in Oakland and one in Las Vegas – and assisted with the team’s community relief efforts during the pandemic and inaugural season in Las Vegas.

During his remarks, Markunas charged current students to build meaningful relationships that go beyond just LinkedIn connections. And he alluded to the strong connections he made with sport management faculty members that he still relies on today.

“Use your resources,” he said. “And after you make a connection, make sure you keep it. No one likes to be hit up when you need something. Stay in touch, even if it’s just reaching out about current events or what’s going on.”

Following Markunas’ keynote, the department presented several awards, starting with Katy Boehmer-Abbott’s selection as the recipient of the Major of the Year Award. Associate Professor Shaina Dabbs offered a few words recognizing Boehmer-Abbott’s remarkable run as a student, including her many contributions to the Women Influencers in Sport (WINS) initiative.

“Over the past four years, Katy has been deeply committed to her own success as well as that of her peers in the department, demonstrating maturity, determination, selflessness and resilience,” Dabbs said.

Cedar Zobel-Williams received the James P. Drummond Service Award, named in honor of the founding department chair of Leisure and Sport Management (later renamed Sport Management). The award is presented to a student in recognition of outstanding contributions to ���ϲ����� and the campus community.

Lastly, Sarah Dawkins ’25 was presented with the Achievement Award, and Lauren Winslow ’27 and Mia Zebley ’27 both received Rising Phoenix Awards.

The banquet, which was presented in conjunction with the Sport Management Society, concluded with a few words from Cara Lucia, the department’s outgoing chair.