Peace College promotes Daniels and Simonson to new positions

Peace College Director of Athletics Kelly Johnson today announced the promotion of Kevin Daniels to Assistant Director of Athletics and Michelle Simonson to Senior Woman Administrator. Both Daniels and Simonson will retain their previous responsibilities. Daniels doubles as the school's Volleyball coach while Simonson leads the Cross Country team.

"Coach Daniels has already stepped up and helped with administrative duties since January and I look forward to his involvement as well as his ideas for our department from an administrative standpoint," Johnson said.

Daniels joined the Peace College athletics staff in March 2009. With the support of an NCAA grant, Daniels took on the additional role as coordinator for student-athlete success last August. He supervises the college's efforts in the NCAA student-athlete affairs division in addition to supporting academic success for the Pacers.

Before coming to Peace, Daniels spent one season as an assistant volleyball coach with the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He owned PlyoCity in Las Vegas and served as a personal trainer.   A 2006 graduate of Mt. Olive College, Daniels played two seasons as an outfielder for the Trojans baseball team.

Meanwhile, Simonson joined the athletics department in 2008 as an assistant basketball coach and took over the Cross Country team last November.

Simonson graduated from Peace College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. She earned numerous honors within both the academic and athletic communities. Simonson was named the 2006 Outstanding Graduate and received the year's Outstanding Senior Award. She was a four-year member of the basketball team, serving as captain her senior season. Simonson earned the athletic department's prestigious Frazier Cup, awarded annually to the individual who best exemplifies the characteristics of a student-athlete. Additionally, Simonson was presented the Scholar Athlete Award and was named the basketball team's Defensive Player of the Year.

"Coach Simonson will take over compliance duties as our Senior Woman Administrator as well as being very much involved in all administrative decisions of the department. As a former Peace College student-athlete she will serve as an outstanding mentor to our current student athletes," added Johnson.

Additionally, Brian Joura takes over as the new Sports Information Coordinator for Peace College.

"Brian's experience and new ideas will also keep our Web site as one of the best in the USA South," Johnson said. "This will allow our fans, parents and student-athletes the ability to follow the Pacers in all of our athletic achievements, both on and off the courts and fields."

Joura, a 2005 graduate of Guilford College, previously did freelance work for the News and Record and The Courier-Tribune and has worked for numerous other organizations, including SportsTicker, Street and Smith and FanGraphs.