Claflin University Director of Athletics Tony O’Neal announced the hiring of Terica Peay as the department’s new Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations, effective Aug. 10, 2026.
Peay brings extensive experience in collegiate athletics communications and administration, with professional experience spanning the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and NCAA Division I and Division II. A South Carolina native, Terica returns to her home state to join Claflin Athletics, bringing a proven record of strategic communication, digital engagement, student-athlete development, and department-wide leadership.
Terica joins Claflin following a successful tenure at Albany State University, where she served as Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication. In that role, she was responsible for advancing the department’s communications and digital strategy while contributing to broader institutional and athletics initiatives.
At Albany State, she developed a student-athlete reward program sponsored by Eggs Up Grill, which increased recognition and fostered a local partnership. She boosted social media engagement by over 20%, focusing on digital outreach. Terica also served as an athletics liaison for the Intercollegiate Athletics Council, was a representative on the Hall of Fame Committee, and held the position of Athletics Chairman, expanding her leadership roles. She received the 2025 NACDA Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute Grant, the 2026 NCAA Division II Sports Communicators Grant, and an NCAA Inclusion College Sports Communicators Grant. Additionally, she represented the SIAC region as the South Region Baseball representative for 2026 and the South Region Men’s Basketball representative for 2024-25.
Terica’s professional background also includes South Carolina State University, where she managed social media content and served as a primary statistician for several sports. Her career has continued to grow through roles focused on game-day operations, media relations, strategic communications, and content development.
Terica holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a concentration in Sports Management from Johnson C. Smith University.
A native of Chester, S.C., Terica is a proud member of Order of the Eastern Star Chapter #320 Woodstars of Bethlehem and Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity.
