Northwestern State staffers Doug Ireland, Jason Pugh and Tony Taglavore picked up honors Sunday in the annual Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s awards announcements capping the LSWA’s convention and the 2016 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.

In the sports information subdivision of the annual LSWA awards for excellence in writing, publications and broadcasting around the state, NSU captured four awards.Ireland, SID since 1989, won a first-place award for editing the Demons’ 2015-16 men’s basketball media guide, which featured design work by assistant SID Jason Pugh and content by graduate assistant SID Matt Vines.

Ireland’s game notes package for the Demon football team’s contest against Stephen F. Austin won second place in that category. Patrick Walsh’s Louisiana Tech football game notes won the contest, with Pam Lafosse of McNeese and Alex Edwards of Louisiana- Monroe tying for third for their game notes.

Pugh, who is wrapping up his second year on staff at NSU, captured a third place award in the “best release” category for the second straight year. He won for his story “Emotions flow during advance screening of ESPN Delaney film,” the 30 For 30 documentary short “Delaney” that premiered last August about Demon great Joe Delaney.

Taglavore is a veteran announcer for the Demon Sports Network, which the NSU SID office helps coordinate. He earned third place for radio play-by-play broadcasting with his call of the Lady Demon basketball team’s Southland Conference Tournament game against Sam Houston State.

With the two awards he won Sunday, Ireland raised his collection of LSWA contest awards to 27 in the last 16 years.
The honors were announced at the annual LSWA Awards Brunch in Natchitoches, following the 2016 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, which is hosted in part by the NSU sports information office each year.