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• NAIA National Awards Day - 2022 Winners
Story courtesy: NAIA.org
College Sports Communicators Camal Petro and Dawn Harmon were honored with national NAIA awards for 2022.
Sports Information Director of the Year: Camal Petro, Loyola University of New Orleans (La.)
The NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year is awarded annually to one SID based on accomplishments during the previous year in the areas of athletics communication, sports information, strategic communication and service to the NAIA.
The 2022 recipient of the NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year is Camal Petro of Loyola University of New Orleans (La.). A graduate of Ole Miss in 2013, Petro has quickly made his mark on the NAIA. During Hurricane Ida, after just one volleyball match, the team had to evacuate to Montgomery, Ala., and away from New Orleans for two weeks. His work publicizing Loyola’s determination and unwavering resilience, with so much going on around the team and in the south, garnered attention from ABC’s Good Morning America which produced a feature about the team.
Petro’s work was also on display during the men’s basketball season as the Wolfpack captured the red banner in Kansas City. His constant contact with media in a saturated sports market in New Orleans helped the team to break through with multiple stories and interviews, both inside and outside the market.
In addition to all the excellent coverage of his teams, Petro was also critical in the negotiation of a radio deal to have all home men’s and women’s basketball games broadcast on Catholic Community Radio.
“Camal came to us without any previous experience in sports information,” said Brett Simpson, Loyola (La.) Director of Athletics. “He was able to leverage his previous experience as a sports journalist and adapt to the role of generating publicity. Like much of the University Sports Complex, Camal’s office sustained significant damage in the hurricane (Ida) and was displaced across campus the entire academic year. There were many times that Camal took the “show on the road” to facilities across New Orleans. He and his team did so flawlessly. He did so without any complaint, only a willingness to provide our student-athletes and staff with a first-class experience.”
Clarence "Ike" Pearson SID Award: Dawn Harmon, Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
Given annually to a member of the NAIA Sports Information Directors Association (NAIA-SIDA), the Clarence “Ike” Pearson Award honors outstanding contributions to the profession. The award is named in honor of the former statistical crew chief of the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in Kansas City, Mo.
The 2022 recipient of the Clarence “Ike” Pearson Award is Dawn Harmon, who has been a constant in the NAIA in her 23 years as a Sports Information Director. The graduate of Friends University (Kan.) not only has experience at the conference level but was a guiding force at the NAIA National Office early in her career.
Harmon worked closely with the NAIA Sports Information Directors Association in her time with the national office, setting the association down a path of success. Much of NAIA SIDA’s growth and influence can be traced directly back to Harmon.
Harmon’s strength is of a quiet nature, but her light toughness in the engagement of others has set her apart as one of the best the profession has ever produced in the NAIA. She quickly became a leader in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and is looked on by her peers as the go-to person with any number of questions with her years of dedicated service and experience.
“I have seen her succeed and I have seen her fail, but I have always seen her give her best while always putting others’ needs ahead of her own needs and interests,” said Rob Miller, former commissioner of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. “Understanding what this award is about, this is Dawn. She has given so much to the NAIA, the profession, and the people. It is time to honor that commitment.”