Matt Eaker named to College Sports Communicators’ 30 Under 30 List

By Athletics Communications
December 15, 2025

Matt Eaker, assistant director of athletics communications at Washington and Lee University, has been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 30 Under 30 class of 2025, a national honor recognizing rising professionals who are making a significant impact in strategic, creative and digital athletics communications across all levels of college sports.

Now in his third year at W&L, Eaker serves as the primary contact for football, volleyball, women's basketball, track & field, men's golf and baseball. In addition to leading coverage for these programs, he supports statistical and game operations, and digital content initiatives for the university's full slate of 24 varsity sports.

Eaker has helped elevate W&L's communications strategy through innovation and leadership. He implemented department-wide tracking of social media and website analytics. He also oversees the development of video and graphic board content, enhancing the fan experience at home football and women's basketball events. Known across campus, Eaker has built strong relationships with coaches, student-athletes and colleagues alike, helping position W&L Athletics as a leader in small-college sports storytelling.

At the national level, Eaker is a highly active and respected member of the CSC. He currently serves as vice chair of the Career Services Committee, is a national review team member for Academic All-America selections in women's volleyball and men's at-large, and is a coordinator and judge for the CSC creative and digital design contest. In 2024, his writing earned District III honors in the Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest, including first place for event coverage and second place for season preview writing.

A native of Schaumburg, Illinois, Eaker earned both a B.A. in Sport Management and an M.A. in Sports Leadership from North Central College.

Eaker's professional foundation was built during his time in undergrad as a Division III student-athlete and as a graduate assistant at North Central College, where he was the primary contact for five sports, hosted opening rounds of the 2022 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament, and coordinated the 2023 NCWWC Region IV Women's Wrestling Championship. He also contributed on-site coverage for multiple NCAA championship events in football, wrestling, soccer and lacrosse.

That high-level experience continued at W&L, where Eaker played key roles in hosting the inaugural Cape Charles Bowl in 2023, the 2025 ODAC Wrestling Championships, and the first NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament games ever hosted at W&L. He also contributed to NCAA postseason coverage for men's soccer (Final Four - 2023), women's volleyball (Elite Eight - 2024), and men's golf (fourth-place finish - 2025). He was a member of the statistical operations team for the 2023 Stagg Bowl, providing real-time data for the ESPNU broadcast.

Of a record 183 nominations submitted, this year's class includes 10 members from different levels of NCAA Division I, five Division II members, nine Division III members, three NAIA members, two members from a Canadian institution and one two-year college member.

Honorees in the 2025 class were chosen by a voting group composed of the executive board of directors, the advisory council, CSC staff, leaders from all CSC committees and selected past winners.