IRVINE, Calif. – For the second time in a row, the PacWest Sports Information Department of the Year award has been awarded to Fresno Pacific University, whose department is led by Jordan Herrod and Christian Bond. The award was voted on by the conference’s SIDs and is awarded at the end of each school year to one school whose sports information department excelled in promoting the school’s brand as well as the accomplishments of its student-athletes.
 
It is the second time in conference history that one school has won the award twice in a row. Fresno Pacific joins Dominican, Academy of Art, Azusa Pacific and Point Loma as the first schools to have won the award multiple times.
 
“I’m very happy for Jordan and Christian, who both deserved this honor,” PacWest Sports Communications Director Jared Pine said. “Both of them went out of their way to assist the other SIDs in the conference, and their sacrifices haven’t gone unnoticed. We have a talented group of SIDs in our conference, and Fresno Pacific has raised the bar for everyone over the last two years especially.”
 
Herrod joined Fresno Pacific’s sports information department in the summer of 2016 and became the primary sports information director three years later. After five years at Fresno Pacific, it was announced that Herrod would be taking the position of Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications at Abilene Christian University.
 
In his five years with the Sunbirds, Herrod has elevated the profile of Fresno Pacific athletics, most notably growing its presence on social media as a recognizable brand. Through the various platforms that are managed by Herrod and Bond, they have told the stories of the Sunbird student-athletes, who had arguably their most successful year since joining the conference in 2012. Among the many notable performances were the men’s basketball team’s first trip to the NCAA postseason, and the women’s track & field relay teams’ All-American performances at NCAA nationals.
 
“We felt like this year presented a unique challenge in the collegiate athletics landscape,” Herrod said. “It’s exciting to be able to win this award in any year, but it’s a little extra special this year. Our peers in this league work hard on a daily basis, so their recognition is a huge honor that we do not take for granted. We take very seriously the task of representing our university and our league well, and I am both thrilled and humbled to pick up this award.”
 
Bond joined the team at Fresno Pacific just days before the 2020 season was postponed, but used the time to expand the reach of Sunbird athletics. Bond created a weekly podcast called Sunbird Soundoff. The program served as a unique way to tell the latest news from the school and give listeners access to coaches and student-athletes, who were interviewed about recent performances as well as upcoming events. Herrod and Bond took turns hosting the show, which featured a wide range of guests and lasted approximately 25 minutes each week.
 
“It’s an incredible honor to earn this recognition from our peers in the PacWest,” Bond said. “Being able to maintain the quality of our media production during the unique and challenging school year is something I’ll take great pride in for a long time. I’ll also take pride in the addition and success of the Sunbird Soundoff as a platform for our coaches and student-athletes to share their experiences with our supporters. Being able to win the award alongside a great friend and mentor in Jordan makes this award truly something to celebrate.”
 
The pair also went out of their way to assist the other schools in the conference. Herrod served as tournament photographer for the PacWest Tennis Championships. Bond managed the live stream of the PacWest Track & Field Championships, where Herrod again was event photographer as well as host SID. Bond traveled to the NCAA Tennis National Championships to provide on-site coverage for NCAA Division II of all 16 teams in attendance. Then Herrod traveled to the NCAA Track & Field National Championships in Michigan to capture all the action of the five PacWest teams in attendance.
 
Herrod and Bond are also supported by a team of student workers that handle various gameday responsibilities as well as putting together highlight packages. Their work behind the scenes is an important part in creating a strong brand for the school and improving student-athlete experience for all of Fresno Pacific’s 17 varsity sports.
 

PACWEST SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
2009-10	John Barry	Hawai’i Pacific
2010-11	Scott Lowe	BYU-Hawaii
2011-12	Brandon Davis	Dominican
2012-13	Rob Garcia	Academy of Art
2013-14	Joe Reinsch Chris Baker	Azusa Pacific
2014-15	Brandon Davis	Dominican
2015-16	Rob Garcia Stephen Ellis	Academy of Art
2016-17	Danny Barnts	Point Loma
2017-18	Danny Barnts Cassandra Kelley	Point Loma
2018-19	Neil Morgan Brandon Taylor	Biola
2019-20	Jordan Herrod	Fresno Pacific
2020-21	Jordan Herrod Christian Bond	Fresno Pacific