COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College Department of Athletic Communications student employees Emily Alford (Newburyport, Mass./Newburyport) and Ivan Henwood (Brooklyn, N.Y./Institute for Collaborative Education/Clarkson) were among five selections to the inaugural Northeast 10 Conference Athletic Communications All-Conference Student Worker Team on Wednesday, as nominated and chosen by the league's Athletic Communications professionals.
 
Alford, a rising senior, and Henwood, a rising junior, joined American International College's Kora Juliano, Bentley University's Sawyer Lisowski, and Franklin Pierce University's Annaka Lindstrom on the squad.
 
Alford was a third-year employee during the 2025-26 school year, specializing in statistics spotting at most field hockey, volleyball, basketball and lacrosse home events while inputting during soccer games, including working with another student as the stat crew during the women's soccer team's first home playoff contest since 1989 this past fall. Alford has staffed nearly 200 sporting events over the duration of her career, setting the standard for most hours worked by a student in the department for both a school year and a career. Among her career highlights was contributing to a student team that supported the men's basketball 2024 NCAA East Regional Championship as statisticians and media liaisons, working seven games over four days. When not working springtime lacrosse games, Alford lends a hand at baseball and softball contests, operating the scoreboard and music.
 
"Emily is the rock of our Athletic Communications student staff and is always willing to try something new," said Director of Athletic Communications Josh Kessler '04, who recently completed his 15th school year at his alma mater. "She takes the job seriously but has fun with it, and uses it as a break from her various other on-campus activities and time spent in the journalism lab. I both look forward to and dread her upcoming senior year, when a really strong class of students graduates. It will be hard to replace them, and they are a major reason why it's fun to come to work."
 
After transferring in last fall, Henwood immediately became an integral member of the Athletic Communications team thanks to his skills with photography and graphic design, navigating his varsity soccer season last fall while settling in. Not only was it common to see him on the sidelines at home sporting events, but he traveled for men's basketball playing in the NE10 Championship title game at Saint Anselm College, baseball visiting Adelphi University in an NE10 Championship first-round contest, and as men's lacrosse was at Molloy University for an NCAA Championship national quarterfinal - producing and quickly turning around high-quality photos of his peers in action. By the second semester, Henwood produced all of the department's game day graphics and most special announcements for social media, particularly around five teams being represented in NCAA Championships.
 
"Ivan quickly became the most essential student I have ever had in the visual media corner of the department," said Kessler. "With losing the only other full-time position on the staff last summer, a person heavily involved in producing graphics and managing students, I was already looking for new students to come aboard and help in a greater capacity with graphics. Ivan filled this critical need in such a professional, responsible manner. It wasn't unusual to look up during a sporting event and realize he had shown up in his free time to continue taking photos - because of course he did. We are fortunate he joined us this school year, and I really look forward to seeing what the next two years bring as he continues sharpening his skills and contributing to telling the stories of Saint Michael's student-athletes."
 
Alford and Henwood were among a substantial group of students and young alumni who supported Kessler and the Athletic Communications operations during the 2025-26 school year. Alford was joined on the game day operations team by Sara Manley '21, Maggie Dockray '25, Garrett Smith '26, Livy Waranis '26, Alec Campbell '27, Kat Gleeson '27, Evan Richardson '27, Sydney Crombach '28, Norah Stubbs '28 and Eben Lyons '29. Henwood joined long-time department photographer and field hockey assistant coach Jim Laskarzewski '86, Jenna Devens '25, Clara Wyatt '26, Jamie Macpherson '28 and Ephraim Schramm '29 in the visual media corner of the department.