Fans of Penn College Athletics have a new and improved source for their information with the unveiling of a redesigned website on Feb. 14. The remodeled site features the same content that fans have enjoyed in the past, with more student-athlete-focused enhancements and a sleek, modern look.
The new site was designed by Penn College's athletics communications office and curated by SIDEARM Sports, Penn College Athletics' website provider since 2014, and brings more sport-specific highlights of Penn College student-athletes and athletics programs on every page. The last time Penn College redesigned its website was in May 2017.
The website will continue to have schedules, results and rosters of Penn College's 14 NCAA Division III intercollegiate programs, along with archery and esports. It will display live stats; enhanced student-athlete biographies with season and career statistics; and team all-time awards and record books.
"This new design is intended to meet the viewing habits and patterns of our fans," said Matt Blymier, assistant director of athletics/communications and compliance. "Most people are viewing our content on phones and tablets, which prompted the current design to be more streamlined. Additionally, we've noticed that fans are more engaged on content that directly meets their interest, which is why we made the content in each sports section uniquely specific to that sport."
Blymier added, "I'm grateful for the team at SIDEARM for their work on this project, and to Jim Carpenter and Eric Hunt for their efforts in allowing us to recognize our past accomplishments with their work on the record books and archives." (Carpenter is a contributing writer. Hunt is coordinator of athletic communications & clubs sports intern.)
The new design allows users to access stories, social media and other athletics-related information quickly – with a refreshed navigation bar at the top of the screen to get athletics information and learn more about the athletics programs and college. The main page features a five-story rotator, followed by a scoreboard/schedule, a real-time social media integration, and a new feature "Player Spotlight" for a monthly highlight on a Wildcat student-athlete. The page concludes with "Cat Vision," a combination of photo galleries, video content and a slideshow image of Penn College's athletics facilities.
"Our student-athletes and our coaches are the foundation of our department," Blymier explained. "This new design allows us to highlight their successes and make them the focal point of the content."
Other notable enhancements include easier navigation to view live webcasts, shop for athletics gear, contribute to the Wildcat Club and view the hall of fame – all of which have their own static ad in the top right navigation bar. Each sports-specific page has content tailored to a specific sport, including schedules, social media integration, coaches' biographies and facility images.
SIDEARM Sports was founded over two decades ago on the campus of Syracuse University. A force behind the digital fan experience across North America, SIDEARM supports over 1,500 partners.