Kodiak Creative/Jimmy Naprstek

Athletic Communications Announces Three New Hires

Staff will assist in coverage of 29 athletic programs

8/12/2025 8:30:00 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan University Associate Athletic Director for Communications & Marketing Katie Gonzales announced the hiring of Emma Thorman, Matt Sosler, and Kody Hofer Monday, Aug. 11. Thorman, a former All-American on the Titan women's golf team, will return to her alma mater as Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, while Sosler moves into a graduate assistant position. Hofer joins Illinois Wesleyan in a 10-month internship.

The trio join an office that includes Gonzales as well as Meredith Mahoney (Assistant Director of Athletic Communications) and Tyler Wilson (Live Stream Coordinator) and will play a crucial role in the communication and publicity efforts for Illinois Wesleyan's 29 sports. Thorman will serve as the primary contact for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track & field, men's and women's golf, and women's soccer. Sosler will handle communication efforts for men's and women's tennis, men's and women's wrestling, and flag football. Hofer will be the primary contact for men's soccer, bowling, and baseball.

A 2024 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, Thorman returns to Bloomington following a one-year stint at Division I Northern Illinois University. There, Thorman was a regular in the Huskies women's golf lineup and also worked in NIU's strategic communications and marketing office. Prior to her venture into Division I, Thorman was a four-year letterwinner on the IWU women's golf team during which she also worked in the athletic communications department. In her first run with the department, Thorman served as an analyst on countless Titan athletics broadcasts, aided in IWU's feature story efforts, and played a vital role in the hosting of countless College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and NCAA tournaments.

No stranger to Titan athletics, Sosler returns in a new capacity for his third year in the department. Previously having served as a go-to play-by-play voice on IWU's live streams, Sosler will step into a graduate role and pursue his master's degree at Illinois State University.

Hofer will be a fresh face around Titan athletics, as he comes to IWU by way of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. At SIUE, Hofer worked in the athletic communications office as a student intern where he assisted in the coverage of the Cougar basketball programs.The Washington, Ill. native earned his degree in journalism this past spring and recently completed a ticket sales internship with the St. Louis Cardinals.

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