GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado athletic communications office took second place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2020-21 J.W. Campbell/Con Marshall Sports Information Department of the Year voting released Wednesday by the conference - the top finish ever by the Mountaineers.

It's the second-straight year Western has finished in the top three after finishing third in 2019-20 - the Mountaineers' first-ever top-three finish. The voting is done by each of the RMAC's 15 sports information departments with each providing their top three choices (departments can't vote for themselves).

"Myself and Zach Walsh are honored to finish in the top three again and take a program-best second place - especially for an honor voted upon by our peers," Western Colorado Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Clayton Jones said. "We worked diligently to take another step forward in our department - and we couldn't have done it without the support of the great coaches and administrators here at Western Colorado. I'm also appreciative of the work our interns and work study students did during this year - which wasn't always easy due to the pandemic."

The award is presented to the sports information department with the greatest impact during the most recent academic year. Colorado Mesa won the award this year with Colorado School of Mines taking third.

It's the third year in a row Jones has led a communications department to a top-three RMAC finished - twice at Western Colorado and once at New Mexico Highlands during the 2018-19 season, the Cowboys' first and only top-three finish in athletic department history. For Walsh, it's his second top-three finish in two years as a full-time employee in athletics after graduating from Western Colorado in 2018.

The award is named after two RMAC Hall of Fame sports information directors. J.W. Campbell was a long-time SID at Western Colorado. He was also the assistant to the Western President, an assistant professor teaching seven separate disciplines and was the school's information director. Campbell also co-authored two books and wrote numerous articles for magazines and trade publications. He passed away in March 2000 and was inducted into the RMAC Hall of Fame in 2007.
 
Con Marshall spent 36 years as a Sports Information Director at Chadron State College. He was inducted into the RMAC Hall of Fame in 2014. A native of Chadron, Nebraska and a CSC graduate, Marshall's name was added to the award in 2007. He has received a 25-year award from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and served on the Harlon Hill Award Selection Committee. Marshall is currently the Information Services Officer for Chadron State, but still dedicates his time and resources to the sports information department whenever possible.