As fall semester came to an end, Hamline’s athletics department promised a big development on their social media accounts. On Dec. 18, they unveiled a new website, hamlineathletics.com, which is the new online home for news and information on the sports department.

Sports Information Director Dave Wright confirmed that Hamline’s athletic department had been pushing for a new design for a while.

“The original didn’t fit the needs for athletics,” Wright said.

Chris Hopkins, assistant sports information director, said they were looking for something different.

“Something with some color, to catch your eye,” he said.

He added the department wanted to make it easy to navigate. He said Athletic Director Jason Verdugo had been pushing for this, and the PAA (Piper Athletic Association) helped fund it.

The previous website was attached to the Hamline University website and used the same graphics. The new site is under their own domain name and has a different look.

SIDEARM Sports was the company that created the new web page design. Now the athletic department has full control over the editing process. Hopkins said editing on the original website was a 12 to 15 step process; now with the new web page, edits are submitted instantly.

The athletic web page is an essential device that serves as a means for mass communication.

“It’s how we recruit students,” Wright said.

Often when coaches are recruiting players out-of-state, they first refer them to the athletic website so they can gain insight on Hamline. Wright said he works closely with coaches to address their needs and wants for their team’s page.

“It’s like the Daily Paper now,” he said. “My job is to be a reporter.”

Wright’s responsibility is to update the page on a daily basis with news inserts and photos; he wants to keep stories up-to-date and relevant.

He said the purpose of the webpage is to communicate to the athletes families who live across the country so they can follow the athletics at Hamline. He revealed that just a few years ago, the only way people out-of-state would know the result of a game was by word of mouth.

Wright said the live stats and lives streams have become an important feature on the website because it provides instant communication: followers know exactly what happens when it happens.

When Wright has to cover a home game and there is another game that day on the road, he contacts the sports information director of the school that hosts Hamline to get insight on the game so that he can post on the webpage, and he returns the favor when another school needs information on games that Hamline hosts. He said all the sports information directors, specifically in the MIAC, frequently contact each other to get information.

Another thing that has changed over the years is the amount of coverage a sport receives. Wright mentioned that in past years only the popular sports, such as football and basketball, would get coverage on every event.

Now that has changed, and every sport is equal and receives news inserts for every event. He added that particularly this time of year is the busiest because there are now 13 active sports. Some spots, such as basketball, may need to have their page updated two to three times a week because of how often they play.

Wright admitted that he didn’t grow up in a technologically advanced time period, but added the new webpage is easy to navigate.

“[The new website] makes it easier for everybody,” Hopkins said.

He shared that they’ve gotten over 150,000 views over the first few weeks. Wright said they’ve received many compliments for the web page’s graphics, smooth navigation and instant access.

Hopkins said their goal now is to go in-depth with player biographies (particularly the Hall of Fame players), more information and possibly adding pictures.