BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche has introduced the hiring of Blake Bonnstetter because the Conference’s Assistant Commissioner for Championships.
In his position, Bonnstetter will oversee Conference championships and function the first sport administrator for a number of sports activities, along with being the Assistant Tournament Director for the OVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. He may also function a liaison for coaches’ teams, oversee officiating applications for assigned sports activities and function the OVC’s main contact for student-athlete participant presents and awards, in addition to managing the league’s merchandise gross sales program amongst different duties.
A two-time graduate of Eastern Illinois University, Bonnstetter has labored as a championships occasion/operations assistant at varied OVC occasions, together with the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship (2022-24), the Softball Championship (2022-23), the Indoor Track & Field Championships (2022-23), the Outdoor Track & Field Championships (2024) and the Beach Volleyball Championship (2022).
Most not too long ago Bonnstetter served because the Program Manager at Emerald Acres Sports Connection in Mattoon, Illinois, a place he assumed in November 2024. There he dealt with the day-to-day operations of brand name new $40 million sport facility, which included a 75,000 sq. foot gymnasium with eight basketball and 16 volleyball courts. He employed an occasion employees, was accountable for oversight and execution of native sports activities leagues and for recruiting occasions for the ability.
From February by way of November 2024, he served because the Assistant Director of Facilities, Events and Operations at Drake University. There he had facility oversite of the basketball enviornment, observe facility and tennis middle, together with overseeing all observe schedules for these amenities. Bonnstetter was the sport operations supervisor for soccer, males’s basketball, softball and tennis, and was accountable for sport day setup, occasion administration, occasion employees, safety and ushers. He additionally recruited and managed a pupil occasion employees of 20 employees.
While at Eastern Illinois, Bonnstetter was a graduate assistant within the athletic operations and occasions division. In that position he helped handle all residence athletic occasions, scheduling amenities, overseeing personnel and coordinating officers. He was accountable for sport day setup, parking administration and oversaw the division’s pupil employees. He additionally helped coordinate outdoors occasions hosted on campus, together with the IHSA State Track Meet and the IHSA Super Regional.
Bonnstetter obtained his bachelor’s diploma in sport administration from EIU in 2022 and accomplished his grasp’s diploma in sport administration in 2024.