Every sports game Pitt Athletics hosts is a production from start to finish. From graphics advertised on social media to updating fans when athletes make history, there’s always so much more that goes into presenting a sporting event than what meets the eye. So who’s puppeteering behind the scenes and polishing every fine detail of the show? One major component of the production crew are the sports information directors.
Halle Angelo was the assistant director of strategic communications at Pitt from 2022-2024, operating as a sports information director for women’s soccer, gymnastics and swim and dive.
Sports information directors, or SIDs, have an array of responsibilities. From keeping in-depth game notes for the media to operating as a liaison for the press on game days, Angelo made herself available for every facet. Essentially, SIDs are the directors of communication for teams between the media and the public.
“Every sport is different,” Angelo said. “So for gymnastics, I traveled everywhere with them during their season … with soccer, I only traveled postseason, so I had to make it a point to go to practices and show my face and show the team, and they’re so warm and lovely, they were so excited every time I saw them.”
Women’s soccer player Ellie Coffield got a close experience working with Angelo this summer. The senior midfielder interned for the strategic communications department where Angelo was one of her advisors.
“I really just got to see behind the scenes with her specifically on a day-to-day basis,” Coffield said. “She does more than I ever imagined that she would.”
Angelo’s commitment to Pitt’s teams is a depiction of her exceptional work ethic and her unwavering resilience. During her time in undergrad at Slippery Rock University, Angelo was a dance major for the first three years. But when a career-ending injury forced her to pivot majors, she turned to the world of communications.
“I’m actually really grateful for that, because I found my passion,” Angelo said. “But because of that, like, being behind, I just kind of threw myself into a ton of different student organizations and internships, and one of them was the photo editor for the newspaper, and there I was able to do a lot of sports photography.”
Sports photography was Angelo’s only connection to sports, but like during her senior year of undergrad, she launched herself into the unknown post-grad and excelled in Pitt Athletics. Her Type A personality helped her acclimate quickly to such a cumbersome job.
“I am a very organized individual,” Angelo said. “And that’s something that you have to be to be an SID and just stay on top of things. This job taught me quite a lot about not being afraid to ask questions. So I use my resources. There are so many people in my old office that are so knowledgeable and are so willing to help,” Angelo said.
Angelo fell into her role as SID and quickly turned around to help others as well. Charissa Coleman is the SID for women’s volleyball and worked closely with Angelo.
“She truly cares about her programs and the student-athletes and coaches she works with. So I think that’s definitely inspiring,” Coleman said. “She inspires me to be more of a team player, and [she] is always willing to lend an extra hand.”
Angelo recently took on her new role as the alumni relations coordinator at Pitt, but her brief time as a SID left big shoes to fill. Student-athletes like Coffield appreciate the hard work Angelo put in during her time in athletics.
“As a freshman, I was like, man, if someone’s going to come into a job, is it worth making a relationship with them if they’re going to leave one day anyway? But of course, the answer is yes,” Coffield said. “The impact she made was honestly more valuable than any of the other SIDs I’ve had during my time at school.”
Pivoting once again, Angelo plans to utilize lessons she learned working as a SID in her new job in alumni relations and is grateful for what the job has taught her about athletics as well as herself.
“The confidence that I gained in myself and my abilities was super beneficial for me,” Angelo said. “Being a SID was my first job … so I didn’t know what to expect, or even really know myself as a professional,” Angelo said. “So just growing through all of that and taking those skills is definitely going to be helpful. I learned so much about myself in my first job, and I’m forever grateful.”
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