Piedmont University’s athletic communications team has been named the Division III Region 6 Staff of the Year by the Division III Sports Information Directors of America (D3SIDA).
The honor recognizes the team’s work during the 2024-25 academic year, led by Assistant AD of Communications Danielle Percival, Director of Athletic Communications Joseph Garwood, and Assistant Director Davis Barlow.
“It is an absolute honor to be recognized by our peers for the work we have done at Piedmont,” Percival said. “While our staff is no longer intact, this is a true testament to the team-first attitude the three of us shared and the power of working together toward common goals. We capitalized on the moments that matter and I’m proud of the work we accomplished.”
Congratulations to our D3SIDA Region 6 Communicators of the Year, Davis Barlow, Danielle Percival and Joseph Garwood 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XuuoGNGYV1
— d3sida (@d3sida) August 22, 2025
Garwood will continue leading the department in 2025-26, while Percival has joined the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association as Assistant Commissioner. Barlow is now Assistant Sports Information Director at Life University.
Programs in 14 states were up for the honor
The Region Staff of the Year awards are voted on by D3SIDA members. Region 6 includes programs in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi. All six regional winners advance to consideration for the national D3SIDA Communicator(s) of the Year award, which will be selected later this month.
The team’s nomination highlighted their exceptional storytelling and community engagement, including a widely shared moment when women’s tennis player Anna Lassiter rang the bell to mark the end of her cancer treatment. Piedmont’s coverage of the event generated over 73,000 views, 175 shares, 37 saves, and more than 3,000 likes, reaching more than 40,000 accounts.
RING THE BELL! 🔔🔔🔔
Anna Lassiter never had the chance to ring the bell upon the completion of her cancer treatment, so Monday, Piedmont gave her that opportunity in front of some of her biggest fans! pic.twitter.com/3JY0AKzMVz
— Piedmont Lions (@PiedmontLions) October 22, 2024
Their feature story, No One Fights Cancer Alone, was published on PiedmontLions.com on April 5, 2024, and re-published by the NCAA on April 19, underscoring the team’s impact beyond campus.
