Anyone who knows Army Athletic Media Relations assistant director Mady Salvani knows two things -- she loves her dogs and she loves Army sports.

As a testament to her dedication, hard work and perseverance to the sports information profession, the Highland Falls, N.Y., native received the Irving T. Marsh Award for the University Division June 7 while attending the annual spring East Coast Athletic Conference Sports Information Director’s Association workshop in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Marsh Awards have been given annually since 1966 to a University and College Division ECAC-SIDA member who, in the opinion of the ECAC-SIDA membership and executive board, has exhibited excellence in the field of sports information.

The awards are named after Irving T. Marsh, the ECAC Service Bureau founder and director until his retirement in 1973.

"It is a tremendous honor," said Director of Army Athletic Media Relations Bob Beretta. "She is very deserving of it."

Beretta said the award is akin to being inducted into the ECAC-SIDAs hall of fame.

"I really believe that Mady is at the highest level of her career," Beretta said.

Salvani is the first assistant to win the award. It usually goes to directors, he added.

"That makes it even more significant," she said. "It shows that assistants are needed and are an integral part of making an office run. Being the first assistant (to be named) made it even more significant and really meant a lot to me."

Salvani said receiving a bouquet of flowers from her officemates at the workshop meant just as much as receiving the award.

"I’ll have a special place on my wall for that picture," she said.

She said her perseverance came from her love of meeting and getting to know many of the 30,000 Army athletes who have passed through the academy’s doors during her tenure.

She spent endless hours traveling with them to away competitions in numerous sports from women’s basketball, softball, soccer and track and field.

"The trips are what I’ve enjoyed most," she said. "Not so much going to nice places, but getting to know the kids. You go to dinner with them. You are on the bus with them.

"They are cadets, but they are just regular kids. They talk about boyfriends, problems," said the former Army women’s athletics sports information director.

"I’ve enjoyed that time traveling and getting to know them and the coaches. The kids I’ve met are some of the nicest in the world," she added.

Salvani is just the third female to be honored by ECAC-SIDA and just the second in the University Division.

She has been working in the sports information field for 23 years as an assistant. She started in the Army SIO office as the administrative assistant 34 years ago.

Her chance to move into sports information directly came in 1976 when women joined the Corps of Cadets.

With them, women’s athletics joined the world of Army athletics. The office needed help. They turned to Salvani.

Over the years she has seen Army women’s athletics evolve and women in the sports information field become more entrenched.

"It was a very historic presentation for her," Beretta said. "She has worked here for an awfully long time, and I think that if there is anyone who emulates what Irving Marsh was -- hard work, dedication, perseverance, loyalty and excellence -- Mady personifies that."

Former long-time Army Sports Information Director Bob Kinney is the only other Army sports information office member to win the award. He was named in 1995 during his final year at Army.