LAS VEGAS - At its 2026 convention from June 7-10, the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) announced that Vanderbilt University, DePaul University, and Grand Valley State University earned the Marketing Team of the Year Award for their respective groups.
 
Vanderbilt edged the University of Maryland and Virginia Tech for Group I honors while DePaul beat out Creighton University and Southeast Missouri State University in Group II. Grand Valley State took home the award in Group III over Minnesota State University Moorhead and West Texas A&M University.
 
"Congratulations to Vanderbilt, DePaul, and Grand Valley State on earning Marketing Team of the Year honors during the 2025-26 academic year," said NACMA president Zach Dayton. "The results that those three teams delivered across revenue generation, brand management, and fan development initiatives highlight the vital contributions being made by marketing departments at institutions of all sizes across the country."
 
Award submissions that earned gold, silver and bronze placements in the Revenue Generation, Brand Management and Fan Development categories were given five points, three points and one point, respectively. Submissions that earned gold, silver and bronze placements in the "Best in Class" categories were given nine points, six points and three points, respectively. The institutions in Groups I, II, and III with the most total points earned were named the Marketing Team of the Year in that group.
 
The complete list of "Best Of" award winners is available in the NACMA Community.
 
All "Best Of" award submissions are available in the NACMA Community awards section for the membership to view.
 
The Marketing Team of the Year Award was created by NACMA to show not only the significant impact a marketing team has on the athletics department, but on the campus and surrounding community.
 
About NACMA
NACMA provides the tools, training and network for collegiate sports marketers to successfully generate revenue, manage brands, and develop fans. For more information about NACMA, please visit https://nacda.com/sports/nacma.
 
NACMA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 61st year. For more information on NACDA and the 19 affiliates that fall under its umbrella, please visit https://nacda.com.
 

Left: Grand Valley State University; Right: DePaul University; Bottom: Vanderbilt University