All profile articles written by John Kmitta

to our coverage of the SportsField Management magazine Rising Star Awards, sponsored by STEC Equipment. The pages that follow showcase the 2025 Rising Star winners.

The awards highlight the best up-and-coming leaders in the sports field management industry. Nominees were submitted earlier this year from throughout the sports field management industry.*

Rising Star nominees had to be under the age of 40 as of January 1, 2025; or, if over the age of 40, must have been new to the sports field management industry within the last 10 years.

Candidates were evaluated based on professional accomplishments, leadership, community and industry involvement, philanthropic efforts and other exemplary qualities.

The Rising Star Awards review panel included SportsField Management magazine staff, as well as a panel of SFMA members from various areas of the industry. Rising Star Award winners were nominated by their peers and selected as winners by their peers.

The 2025 Rising Star Award winners are( in alphabetical order by last name):

C. J. Buck Justin Danelutt Marcus Elswick Mira Emma Gage Knudson

* The SportsField Management magazine Rising Star Awards, sponsored by STEC Equipment, are an independent award production created and presented by SportsField Management magazine. Although SFMA members were involved in the nominee review process, the awards program is not an official SFMA award. As such, nominees do not need to be members of the national SFMA to be considered for a Rising Star Award.

18 SportsField Management | October 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com