Bio

Troy Baranik is entering his second full season as the Sports Information Director at Columbia College (SC). This is Troy's second stint at an NAIA institution while he has worked at all levels of NCAA Divisions: Div. I, II, III.

The 12-year sports information veteran joined the Koala athletic staff in March of 2024 after serving as the Sports Information Director at nearby Allen University, a Division II institution in Columbia, SC for two years (2022-24). Baranik also helps out with SID duties at Clinton College, a NCCAA school in Rock Hill, SC since January of 2024.

Baranik brings knowledge and understanding of today's sports information world and the ability to wear many different hats, having helped Div. III NC Wesleyan University Athletics navigate the ever-changing world during the Covid pandemic.  Baranik was the primary statistician, writer and media contact for all 16 of NC Wesleyan's sports for 4 seasons from 2018-2022. 

A native of Laurinburg, NC, Baranik is a 2011 graduate of NAIA St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, where he received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Sports & Recreational Studies and was a four-year letterman on the NCAA Div. II wrestling team when the school was a member of the NCAA in the 2000s. Baranik then served as the Sports Information Director at St. Andrews from 2012-2018 during their transition to the NAIA and was in charge of 21 different sports at one time. He also helped transition SAU from a Div. II school to an NAIA institution along with a brand-new website in the 2012-2013 season.

Baranik got his start as an intern in the Penn State University athletic communications department during the 2011-12 season as he helped with football, volleyball, soccer and wrestling. He also worked at ESPN Radio 1450 in State College, PA during his time in the central PA area. Baranik is also the Co-Editor and Layout Design for the award-winning Pennsylvania Wrestling Newsmagazine.