RIVER FOREST, ILL. – The Concordia University Chicago athletic department announced the promotion of Sydney Paulauskis-Lauher, effective May 22, 2023.

"Sydney has a thirst for learning and has consistently stepped up to fill in gaps during her time working in Athletic Communications, both as a student worker and as a Graduate Assistant," said Interim Director of Athletics Janet Wolbert. "I am excited to continue working with her in a full time capacity and witness her future growth in this industry.  CUC Athletics is truly blessed to have Syd step into this full-time role as we continue to excel in the Athletic Communications field." 

Paulauskis-Lauher steps into the full-time role after a year as the athletic communications graduate assistant for the 2022-23 season. During the 2022-23 season, Paulauskis-Lauher was a member of the fully female department working under Director of Athletic Communications Kayla McCloud.

"I'm beyond excited to have Sydney join our staff full-time," said McCloud. "She's already been carrying the workload of a full-time staff member because of how much she invests herself in what she does. She's continually hungry to learn, and our department has seen a lot of new ideas and growth because of the things she brings to the table. I can't wait to see what new comes in the future."

Paulauskis-Lauher first joined the Athletic Communications staff after a four-year career with the CUC Softball team. During her playing career, Paulauskis-Lauher appeared in 114 games while starting in 109. She was a career .277 hitter with 33 runs driven in. A sure-handed first baseman, Paulauskis-Lauher recorded 413 putouts in her career and made one or fewer errors in three of her four seasons in the maroon and gold.

Paulauskis-Lauher gained knowledge in the communications field during her time at CUC by spending two years working for Concordia's on-campus radio station WCGR. Additionally, Paulauskis-Lauher spent two years in the Athletic Communications office, managing multiple team's social media accounts, recording stats on the NCAA Genius software, creating graphics for various team accounts, and filling in any necessary game-day duties.

Outside of the field of play, Paulauskis-Lauher was heavily involved in different activities on campus at CUC. She served as a student ambassador at CUC for four years, giving thousands of tours around the River Forest campus. Additionally, she was part of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) executive board, playing a critical role in the end-of-year student-athlete banquet and the partnership with Special Olympics. She also served on the homecoming committee.

Paulauskis-Lauher earned her bachelor's degree in marketing from Concordia Chicago in the summer of 2022 and is currently pursuing her master's degree in sports leadership.