Welcome to our coverage of the 2026 SportsField Management magazine Rising Star Awards. The pages that follow showcase this year’ s Rising Star Award winners.
These awards highlight the best up-and-coming leaders in the sports field management industry. Nominations were submitted earlier this year, and candidates were evaluated based on professional accomplishments, leadership, community and industry involvement, philanthropic efforts and other exemplary qualities.*
The 2026 Rising Star Award winners are( in alphabetical order by last name):
RISING STAR AWARDS
SportsField Management
Magazine RISING
STAR AWARD WINNERS
All profile articles written by John Kmitta
Welcome to our coverage of the 2026 SportsField Management magazine Rising Star Awards. The pages that follow showcase this year’ s Rising Star Award winners.
These awards highlight the best up-and-coming leaders in the sports field management industry. Nominations were submitted earlier this year, and candidates were evaluated based on professional accomplishments, leadership, community and industry involvement, philanthropic efforts and other exemplary qualities.*
The 2026 Rising Star Award winners are( in alphabetical order by last name):
RYAN ANDERSON, CSFM BEN BAUMER, CSFM COLIN BOAK
REEVES FERNALD AMANDA FOLCK JULIE KESSLER
WILL COLE
* The SportsField Management magazine Rising Star Awards are an independent award production created and presented by SportsField Management magazine, and is not an official SFMA award. Rising Star nominees must be under the age of 40 or new to the sports field management industry within the last 10 years. Nominations were reviewed by SportsField Management magazine staff with assistance from the SportsField Management magazine Editorial Advisory Board.