ORU EXPERIENCE | COACHES | 2013-14 SQUAD | OPPONENTS | 2012-13 REVIEW | HISTORY
ORU MEDIA RELATIONS
BLAKE
FREELAND
Assistant AD • Media Relations | 3rd Season
Hired as the assistant A.D. for media relations in July of 2011, Blake Freeland joined the Oral Roberts staff from Charleston Southern University, where he served in a number of capacities in the sports information office over the span of seven years. During his career of more than 10 years, Freeland had aided in the publicity of a national champion, numerous AP AllAmerican selections including 2012 men’s basketball selection, Dominique Morrison. He has covered the ORU women’s basketball team at the NCAA Tournament, the ORU men’s basketball team at a pair of postseason tournaments, and the CSU football team as they took on the defending national champion Florida Gators. Immediately after moving to ORU, Freeland went to work improving all facets of the media relations operations. In his first two years, he increased the size and content of the five existing media guides, including men’s and women’s basketball and baseball, and the department is producing publications for men’s golf, women’s golf and cross country guides for the first time.
Additionally, Freeland has overseen an increase in the number of live events streamed through ELIve, upgrading the quality as well with the use of play-by-play and graphics for baseball. At CSU, Freeland was the main contact for the football, cross country, and track & field programs, while overseeing the coverage of all 16 Division I teams. He hosted the Big South Women’s Soccer Championship three times and the Big South Track & Field Championship once.
MEDIA RELATIONS
(918) 495-7094
Blake Freeland • Asst. AD/Media Relations (918) 495-7181 Rob Walden • Asst. Director (WBB CONTACT) (918) 495-7094 Walden Cell (864) 200-0690 Walden Email rwalden@oru.edu Walden Twitter @WaldenORU Eric Scott • Media Relations Assistant (918) 495-6646 Media Relations Fax (918) 495-7142 Basketball Press Row Phone (918) 495-7800 Website ORUGoldenEagles.com Facebook facebook.com/ORUAthletics Twitter @ORUAthletics
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Athletic Department Fax Mike Carter • Director of Athletics Shanda Sampson • Administrative Assistant
(918) 495-7151 (918) 495-7123
Prior to CSU, Freeland spent two years in the media relations office at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, where he was a contact for tennis and cross country, and helped out with football, basketball and baseball, among others. While at OSU, Freeland had the opportunity to work the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament in Oklahoma City, and worked a number of Big 12 Conference Championships.
ATHLETIC BUSINESS
Married July 2007 to the former Katie Davis, he is a member of CoSIDA. The couple has one son, Beckett, born April 2011.
Scott Higgins • Associate AD/Marketing Richard McCutchen • Assistant AD/Marketing Brett Scott • Director of Marketing
ROB
WALDEN
Assistant Director of Media Relations | 3rd Season
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CONTACT Rob Walden is in his third season as the assistant director of broadcast package, leading the online streaming of more media relations at Oral Roberts University. In his position, than 70 UWF sporting events during the 2010-11 season. Walden oversees the publicity efforts for the Golden Eagle He also was was the play-by-play broadcaster for more volleyball, women’s basketball and tennis programs. He than 100 athletic broadcasts, including the Argo baseball also serves as a secondary play-by-play announcer for team’s run to the NCAA Division II National Championship. ORU women’s basketball games, including the team’s 2013 NCAA Tournament run. A native of Woodruff, S.C., Walden graduated from Newberry College in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts At ORU, Walden has dramatically increased the size and degree in Communications. In 2011, Walden obtained an quality of the school’s women’s basketball and volleyball M.S. in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala. media guides by reformatting both publications, adding historical pictures and content and more than doubling the amount of information on the current group of Golden As a sports information intern at Charleston Southern Eagles. He has also been instrumental in Media Relations University in 2009-10, Walden served as the primary Department’s newfound commitment to video content media relations contact for the Buccaneers’ baseball and by hosting, producing and editing video highlights and golf teams. In addition to his sports information duties, he interview packages for ORUGoldenEagles.com also took over as the play-by-play voice for all CSU men’s basketball radio broadcasts. Prior to his year at Charleston Walden came to ORU from the University of West Florida, Southern, Walden spent one year at Brevard College, in Pensacola. While at UWF, Walden was instrumental in leading the department’s media relations efforts. boosting the school’s audio and video broadcast efforts. Walden oversaw the launch of UWF’s athletic video Walden and his wife Krystle reside in Tulsa.
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DEPARTMENT DIRECTORY
2013 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
(918) 495-7204
Rhonda Fowler • Associate AD/Business Administration
DEVELOPMENT
(918) 495-951
Sean Dolan • Associate AD/Development
MARKETING
(918) 495-7400
GOLDEN EAGLE CLUB
(918) 495-6424
TICKETS
(918) 495-7546
ELI CENTER (ACADEMICS)
(918) 495-7671
ATHLETIC TRAINING
(918) 495-7968
SPORTS PERFORMANCE
(918) 495-7138
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(918) 495-6125
Debbie Gimlin • Administrative Assistant/Golden Eagle Club
John Klein • Director of Ticket Sales
Kyle Jones • Assistant AD/Academics Jaci Bigham • Dir. of Athletic Academics/Eligibility Jamie Thomas • Dir. of Athletic Academics/Degree Advancement
John Joslin • Director of Sports Medicine Emily Calder • Assistant Athletic Trainer (WBB TRAINER) Joshua Dreher • Assistant Athletic Trainer
Adam Hermann • Director of Sports Performance Bradley Ruhanen • Assistant Director of Sports Performance
Misti Cussen • Head Coach Bojan Jankovic • Assistant Coach Royce Samuels • Assistant Coach Kyron Stokes • Assistant Coach Janae Voelker • Director of Operations Jaci Bigham • Director of Player Development