FARMVILLE, Va. – For the third consecutive year, the Longwood office of athletics communications received recognition in the annual Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Tuesday.
Longwood hauled in a pair of district awards, earning district 3's top honors in both the "Story with Video" and "Coach/Admin/Historical Feature" categories. The office previously received the national award in the "Story with Video" category in 2015 and district honors in the "General Feature" category in 2016.
CoSIDA will announce the 2017 national award winners on June 5.
Per CoSIDA, "The annual CoSIDA Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest is open to all
current 2016-17 dues-paying members of CoSIDA.
It recognizes excellence in feature writing, historical features, administrator/coach profiles and event coverage writing. Entries will be judged on overall writing style, correct use of English, inventiveness, written presentation and the ease with which the read acquires the information."
The contest features eight categories: event coverage, general feature, coach/administrator profile and historical feature/athlete profile, blog, season preview/recap, and story with video.
In the Story with Video category, assistant athletics communications director
Todd Lindenmuth and student video assistant Christian Fox collaborated on a piece about former Lancer All-American
Megan Baltzell and her experience with the USA Women's National Team. The multimedia story, titled
"Softball Slugger Living Out Hardball Dreams," featured a written piece by Lindenmuth, in his third year at Longwood, and an accompanying video by Fox, a senior who has worked with the office for the past three years.
Other district winners in the category included submissions from the University of California, University of Notre Dame, University of Oklahoma and Penn State University.
In the Coach/Admin/Historical Feature category, assistant vice president for athletics communications
Chris Cook penned a piece about Longwood's 20th-year head softball coach
Kathy Riley and the sustained success of Longwood's four-time Big South Champion softball program. Cook's story, titled
"600 Wins…What's the Big Deal?" celebrated Riley's 600th win last season and profiled the culture that has turned the Longwood softball program into a Big South dynasty.
Other district winners in that category featured stories produced by Cornell University, University of Florida, University of Kentucky, Stanford University, University of Texas and the NCAA.
Also of note, Longwood University alumnus Steven Sommer, a 2014 graduate who is now an assistant director of strategic communication at Penn State, received a district 4 award for Coach/Admin/Historical Feature for his work as editor on "The Skinner Effect: A Blueprint for Excellence." Sommer was a communications studies major at Longwood whose career in athletics communications has also included stints at Wofford College and University of Kentucky.
Longwood Athletics' Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest Award Winners
2016-17 Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest District Winners
| District 1 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
Stuart Kaufman |
Keene State |
A Perilous Journey from Africa to Keene State |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Julie Greco |
Cornell |
Mint Condition |
| Event |
Julie Greco |
Cornell |
Garrett's Bow |
| General |
Casey Gavin |
ECAC |
ECAC Rallies Around Stony Brook's Kemp |
| Blog/Interview |
Scott Eddy |
St. Bonaventure |
#BonniesDance |
| Story With Video |
Stephen Gorchov / Len Skoros/ Amanda Ghysel |
Hofstra |
Hofstra Remembers Nick Colleluori |
| Season Preview/Recap |
Dave Vatz |
Albany |
2016 Ualbany Women's Soccer Outlook: Defending the Title |
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| District 2 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
Matt Muzza |
US Naval Academy |
Vermeer Serves Others as Plebe Summer Regimental Commander |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Adam Zundell |
Mountain East Conference |
The Bigger Picture: Cirovski Helps Grow the Game |
| Event |
Justin Lafleur |
Lehigh |
Mountain Hawks Grind Out Big 8-7 Win at No. 20 Boston University |
| General |
Bill Morgal / Bill Smith |
Shippensburg |
Seeking an Escape…Thru Yoga |
| Blog/Interview |
Shannon McNamara |
West Virginia |
Red, White, Gold and Blue |
| Story With Video |
Arielle Sargent / Kyle Rinaldi |
Penn State |
Josh McPhearson: The Ultimate Teammate |
| Season Preview/Recap |
Justin Lafleur |
Lehigh |
Impressive Run Fueled by Intangibles |
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| District 3 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
Cody A. Clifton |
Virginia Wesleyan |
The Long Road to the Beach |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Chris Harry |
Florida |
Harry Fodder: The Legend Down the Hall |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Chris Cook |
Longwood |
600 Wins…What's the Big Deal? |
| Event |
Jason Hendrix |
Georgia Gwinnett |
Grizzlies Serve the Greater-Gwinnett Community |
| General |
Joshua Darling / Charlotte McCormack |
Clayton State |
Former Clayton State Women's Soccer Player Jenny Dreasler Rises to Prominence as Illinois Anchorwoman |
| Blog/Interview |
Philip Sikes |
Clemson |
Tears of Joy |
| Story With Video |
Todd Lindenmuth / Christian Fox |
Longwood |
Softball Slugger Living Out Hardball Dreams |
| Season Preview/Recap |
Donnie Smith |
Southeastern |
Football Completes Sun Conference Era in Historic Way |
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| District 4 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
Adam Cavalier |
Carson-Newman |
Sunday Conversations: Andy Barnett - Stroke Survivor |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Deb Moore / Steve Sommer |
Kentucky |
The Skinner Effect: A Blueprint for Excellence |
| Event |
Craig Hicks |
Denison |
Denison Overcomes the Odds in NCAC Tourney Championship |
| Event |
Mark McGee |
Lipscomb |
Volleyball Wins Second Straight ASUN Tournament Title |
| General |
Steve Kornacki |
Michigan |
Namesnik's Family Finds Life's Sunshine |
| Blog/Interview |
Colby Wilson |
Austin Peay |
Dancing in Des Moines |
| Story With Video |
Dusty Sloan |
Ashland |
No. 3 Eagles Top Ursuline, 72-70, Make Division II History |
| Story With Video |
Adam Cavalier |
Carson-Newman |
Sunday Conversations: Goat Farming with Sawyer Williams |
| Season Preview/Recap |
Brendan Bergen |
Xavier |
A Run to Remember |
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| District 5 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
Matt Higgins |
Minn. Inter. Athletic Conf. |
Julia Zyla's Comeback Displays Her Incredible Heart |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Kyle C. Leach |
NCAA |
Tragedy to Triumph |
| Event |
John Heisler |
Notre Dame |
Anatomy of a Victory |
| General |
Kyle Leach |
NCAA |
Take This Job and Love it |
| Blog/Interview |
Gene McGivern |
St. Thomas (Minn.) |
A Little Rust, a Lot of Character in DNA of D-III |
| Story With Video |
John Heisler |
Notre Dame |
Counsell, Murphy Continue Three-Decade 'Conversation' |
| Season Preview/Recap |
Gene McGivern |
St. Thomas (Minn.) |
Psychology, Chemistry are Recipe for Success |
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| District 6 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
Kevin Trainor |
Arkansas |
Moses' Epic Journey |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Sean E. Cartell |
Texas |
Friendship and Rivalry Sparked Ascent of Women's Basketball |
| Event |
Chelsey Kraft |
Oklahoma |
Made It Count: Sooners Win Second NCAA Title |
| General |
Ben Coldagelli |
Oklahoma |
Bringing Back the Boom |
| Blog/Interview |
Kevin Trainor |
Arkansas |
From the Podium: 2016 SEC Football Media Days |
| Story With Video |
Wes Moody |
Oklahoma |
Carrying Honor |
| Season Preview/Recap |
Scott Goode |
Harding |
Saving the Best for Last |
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| District 7 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
Larry Happel |
Central |
From Homeless to Heavyweight--Miranda Finds a Family at Central |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
Jerek Wolcott |
Carroll |
Turcott, Solomon Look Back at Storied 2000-01 Team |
| Event |
Robert Anderson |
Creighton |
Korver & McDermott Thrill Omaha During NBA Exhibition |
| General |
Kevin Horner |
Iowa State |
The Lazards Cement Their Legacy as Captains |
| Blog/Interview |
Shaun Wicen / Maricel Medina |
Western State |
Full Court Press with Maricel Medina: a Hoops Blog |
| Story With Video |
Evan O'Kelly |
Montana State-Billings |
Yellowjacket Women's Soccer Engages Community at Alum's 4th-Grade Classroom |
| Season Preview/Recap |
Evan O'Kelly |
Montana State-Billings |
Yellowjackets Reach New Milestone with 30 Wins, 2nd Straight Title |
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| District 8 |
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| Category |
Winner's Name |
School |
Title |
| Athlete |
David Kiefer |
Stanford |
The Artist |
| Coach/Admin/Historical |
David Kiefer |
Stanford |
Beyond 1,000 |
| Event |
Jonathan Okanes |
California |
Rennie Makes College Debut in Loss to Utah |
| General |
Jim Young |
San Francisco |
Kezar Holds a Special Place in History |
| Blog/Interview |
Jim Young |
San Francisco |
#EuroDons Blog: Ahh, Paris |
| Story With Video |
Jonathan Okanes |
California |
A Beautiful Game |
| Season Preview/Recap |
David Kiefer |
Stanford |
Season Review: Track and Field |
#GoWood
