Education Bachelor of Arts in Technical Journalism (Colorado State 1990) Kaiser High School (1986) Lois Manin is in her fourth year as director of Sports Media Relations. Her primary responsibility is managing the overall operations of the office, which includes handling policies, procedures and budgets; composing and enforcing strategic plans; and overseeing publications and the Athletic Department's internet homepage. She also serves as the primary media contact for the Athletic Department as well as its 18 intercollegiate sports programs. A 1986 graduate of Kaiser High School on Oahu, Manin earned four letters in softball, three in basketball, two in soft tennis and one in track. After graduation, she attended Colorado State University where she earned a degree in technical journalism in 1990. While at CSU, Manin was a four-year letterwinner in softball and was named first team All-Region while earning High County Athletic Conference honorable mention honors. She was also awarded the team's Golden Glove Award her senior year. Upon graduating, she returned to Hawai'i, joining the Sports Media Relations team as women's sports information director in 1991. She took the reigns of director in 1995.

Sports Media Relations Director Lois Manin

The Sports Media Relations Office at the University of Hawai'i is more than a liaison between media outlets and the Athletics Department. It plays an important role in the overall success of UH Athletics.

Since 1970, the Sports Media Relations Office has served as the central location for the dissemination of information of every intercollegiate sports program at UH. The office's primary function is to provide local, national and international media with up-to-date, accurate and timely information to cover UH Athletics. Through positive and accurate coverage, the University's sports programs can reap the rewards of national attention, a facet important in UH Athletics.

"Our geographical location puts us at a disadvantage, especially in recruiting," Sports Media Relations Director Lois Manin said. "Our scores and results don't make Mainland deadlines because of the time difference, so it's very difficult to create awareness to recruits on the Mainland."

As part of her plan to help level the playing field, Manin, along with UH administrators, chartered the department's first Internet homepage, which features information on all of the University's intercollegiate sports programs. The nationally-acclaimed website also posts results, schedules, and players and coaches biographies, which is updated daily by one of the first full-time internet specialists in collegiate sports.

UH Athletics has consistently filled the airwaves and pages of every local media outlet. Dailies, weeklies, student newspapers, radio and TV stations, magazines -- UH Athletics continue to invoke interest on the local scene.

In addition to receiving daily local coverage, the Rainbow men and women have made headlines in major national media outlets, including ESPN, CNN/SI, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Inside Edition, PrimeTime Live and American Journal.

"We've implemented a grassroots effort to gain national attention for our sports programs and it's starting to pay off," Manin said. "I think people are starting to recognize the fact that there's a Division I Athletics program in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that can compete with the rest of the nation."

The Sports Media Relations Office also houses the history of all the athletic programs through the collection and storage of up-to-date statistics and information on all past and present student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and staff members. Information can be accessed quickly and easily from the office's archives.

Another major component of the Sports Media Relations Office is the production of media guides. Filled with statistics, player information and staff biographies, these media guides serve as a vital source of information for the media and in recruiting.

"We have made a solid commitment to improve the quality and timeliness of our publications," Manin said. "The staff has been working long and hard to help improve in this area. We've come a long way."

Because of the various responsibilities the Sports Media Relations Office has to deal with on a daily basis, Manin has helped devise a Strategic Plan to keep the staff focused on both short- and long-term goals. Her goal is to keep the office functioning at its peak level of production in the constantly changing environment.

"The creation and implementation of our Strategic Plan has provided a solid foundation for the office to build on," Manin said. "With it, we know where we've been, where we are and where we are headed. It serves as the Bible to all our decision-making."

Along with full-time staff members, student assistants contribute to the overall operation of the office. These student writers, clerks, interns and photographers play an important part in the office's success and, in turn, gain experience in a working environment.