The Erie Sports Commission held its 11th annual Sports Tourism Awards Dinner this evening at the Bayfront Convention Center. Rights holders, venue directors, elected officials, community leaders and their guests gathered to celebrate individuals and organizations that contributed to Erie County Sports Tourism in 2025.
In 2025, the Erie Sports Commission supported a record of 86 events across 199 event days, surpassing $21 million in estimated economic impact for the third time in its history.
CEO and President of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, Brandon Mendoza, presented the National Event of the Year to the 2025 CCA Women’s D2 Tip-Off Classic, presented by AHN Sports Medicine and AHN Pavilion. The three-day tournament featured eight teams, including three ranked in the top five of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
Terry Cascioli, board chair for VisitErie, presented the Impact Award to the Sarah Backstrom Memorial Tournament, which welcomed over 1,400 participants and 2,000 spectators to Erie and generated over $3 million in estimated economic impact.
The Northeast Region Classic Firefighter Challenge received the New Event of the Year, presented by Erie Mayor Daria Devlin. Firefighters from 98 departments across 34 states traveled to Erie to compete in what is known as the “toughest two minutes in sports.”
Gus Pine, executive director for Erie Events, presented the Locally Managed Event of the Year to the Rambler Wrestling Club Battle on the Bay, an annual event that has welcomed over 1,500 wrestlers to Erie for elite competition since its debut in 2022.
Ben Huggler, event services director for the Erie Sports Commission, presented the Event Series of the Year to the North East Little League, which hosted three events in 2025 at the Denny Lowes Complex in North East, which is currently undergoing major renovations.
Sydney Dietz, event and marketing manager for the Erie Sports Commission, presented Volunteer of the Year to John Frey and Dick Sembower for their dedication to the American Legion PA State Baseball Tournament, held at McDowell High School from July 25-23.
John Oliver, former president and CEO of VisitErie, was honored with the Ron Sertz Dedication to Erie Award, presented by Chris Temple, director of communications for VisitErie. During his nearly 24-year tenure, Oliver grew the organization from three to 10 employees, that helped grow visitor spending in Erie County to more than $1 billion annually.
