By Gerry Ahern
USA Today
Here are the final results for the 2011 APSE national sports journalism writing contest. Top 10 finalists were announced previously; these are the final placings. (Sections were not ranked). Winners will be honored at APSE's annual awards banquet, taking place this year on June 23 in Chicago. To register for the banquet (there is no cost for winners), or to submit any name or style corrections to this list, please contact Executive Director Jack Berninger at jackapse@aol.com.
Matt Calkins of The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) took home three first-place awards (Beat Writing, Columns and Features) in the 30,000 to 75,000 circulation division.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports won two first places (Beat Writing and Features) in the Over 175,000 category.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all the entrants and judges.
INVESTIGATIVE
(All circulation categories)
TOP 5
- Charles Robinson, Dan Wetzel, Rand Getlin, Yahoo! Sports
- Scott M. Reid, Orange County (Calif.) Register
- Justin Rodriguez, Kevin Gleason, Times Herald-Record (Middletown (N.Y.)
- Bob Hohler, Boston Globe
- Alison Leigh Cowan, Serge F. Kovaleski, Peter Lattman, Richard Sandomir, Michael S. Schmidt, Ken Belson, David Waldstein, The New York Times
HONORABLE MENTION
- Craig Harris, Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
- Benjamin Hochman, Ryan Casey, Electa Draper, The Denver Post
- Michael O’Keeffe, Christian Red, Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, New York Daily News
- Josh Moon, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser
- Gerald Witt, News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.)
OVER 175,000
BEAT WRITING
TOP 5
- Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports
- Adam Kilgore, Washington Post
- Joe Drape, The New York Times
- Greg Bedard, Boston Globe
- Mike Klis, The Denver Post
HONORABLE MENTION
- Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Joe Strauss, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Phil Miller, The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
- Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times
- Evan Grant, The Dallas Morning News
BREAKING NEWS
TOP 5
- Mark Viera, Pete Thamel, The New York Times
- Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports
- Ezra Fieser, Frances Robles, Clark Spencer, Miami Herald
- Alison Leigh Cowan, Peter Lattman, Serge F. Kovaleski, David Waldstein, Charles V. Bagli, Michael S. Schmidt, Ken Belson, Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times
- Benjamin Hochman,The Denver Post
HONORABLE MENTION
- Charles Robinson, Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
- Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times
- Steven Marcus, Newsday
- Barry Jackson, Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald
- Gene Wang, Sally Jenkins, Washington Post
COLUMNS
TOP 5
- Sally Jenkins, Washington Post
- Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe
- Michael Rosenberg, Detroit Free Press
- Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
- Steve Politi, Newark Star-Ledger
HONORABLE MENTION
- Ian O’Connor, ESPNNew York.com
- Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Mike Wise, Washington Post
- Gregg Doyel, CBSSports.com
- William C. Rhoden, The New York Times
EXPLANATORY
TOP 5
- Dan Bickley, Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
- Bob Hohler, Boston Globe
- Dan Pompei, David Haugh, Vaughn McClure, Becky Yerak, Steve Schmadeke, Juan Ortega, Chicago Tribune
- Bill Pennington, The New York Times
- Marc Carig, Dan Worthington, Newark Star-Ledger
HONORABLE MENTION
- Jay Hart, Yahoo! Sports
- Lindsay H. Jones, Mike Klis, Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post
- David Wharton, Baxter Holmes, Los Angeles Times
- Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Tom Rock, Jim Baumbach, Stephen Haynes, Newsday
FEATURES
TOP 5
- Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports
- Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
- Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun
- Dave Sheinin, Washington Post
- Bill Pennington, The New York Times
HONORABLE MENTION
- Rick Maese, Washington Post
- Sally Jenkins, Washington Post
- Brad Townsend, The Dallas Morning News
- Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune
- Kevin Armstrong, New York Daily News
PROJECTS
TOP 5
- John Branch, The New York Times
- Jay Hart, Dan Wetzel, Les Carpenter, Michael Silver, Nick Cotsonika, Dave Meltzer, Kevin Iole, Eric Adelson, Steve Henson, Yahoo! Sports
- Steve Berkowitz, Steve Wieberg, Jodi Upton, Erik Brady, Jay Weiner, Calder Silcox, USA TODAY
- Kent Babb, Bob Dutton, Pete Grathoff, Sam Mellinger, Terez A. Paylor, Tod Palmer, Kansas City Star
- Frank Fitzpatrick, Philadelphia Inquirer
HONORABLE MENTION
- John C. Cotey, Joey Knight, Bob Putnam, Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
- Peter Abraham, Amalie Benjamin, Nick Cafardo, Chad Finn, Daigo Fujuwara, Sean Smith, Javier Zarrachina, Boston Globe
- Terry Frei, Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
- Michael O’Keeffe, Christian Red, Teri Thompson, New York Daily News
- Dan Steinberg, Tracee Hamilton, Michael Lee, Chris Jenkins and Peyton Craighill, Washington Post
75,001-175,000
BEAT WRITING
TOP 5
- John Hoover, Tulsa (Okla.) World
- David Woods, Indianapolis Star
- Joseph Person, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
- Joe Capozzi, The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
- Tania Ganguli, Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Don Kausler, The Birmingham (Ala.) News
- Jeff Roberts, The Record (Woodland Park, N.J)
- Tim Stevens, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
- Lorne Chan, San Antonio Express-News
- Ken Tysiac, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
BREAKING NEWS
TOP 5
- Mike Wagner, Ken Gordon, Tim May, Jill Riepenhoff, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch
- Mike Wagner, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch
- Brent Zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News
- Jeff Duncan, Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
- Tim May, Columbus Dispatch
HONORABLE MENTION
- Brian T. Smith, Steve Luhm, Tony Jones, Salt Lake Tribune
- Bill Koch, Shannon Russell, Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer
- Kirk Bohls, Alan Trubow, Austin American-Statesman
- Tom Witosky, Bryce Miller, Des Moines Register
- Dustin Long, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
COLUMNS
TOP 5
- Geoff Calkins, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)
- Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer
- Berry Tramel, The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City)
- Joe Henderson, The Tampa Tribune
- Bob Klapisch, The Record (Woodland Park, N.J.)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Martin Fennelly, The Tampa Tribune
- Bob Wojnowski, Detroit News
- Ron Morris, The State (Columbia, S.C.)
- Tara Sullivan, The Record (Woodland Park, N.J.)
- Greg Stoda, The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
EXPLANATORY
TOP 5
- Brian T. Smith, Mike Gorrell, Salt Lake Tribune
- Lorne Chan, San Antonio Express-News
- Eric Crawford, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)
- Stefanie Loh, The Patriot-News (Mechanicsburg, Pa.)
- Andrew Gribble, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel
HONORABLE MENTION
- Kirk Bohls, Randy Riggs, Austin American-Statesman
- John Hoover, Tulsa (Okla.) World
- Michael DiRocco, Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)
- Joey Johnston, The Tampa Tribune
- Josh Kendall, The State (Columbia, S.C.)
FEATURES
TOP 5
- Tommy Tomlinson, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
- Andrew Gribble, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel
- Ed Miller, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
- Jimmie Tramel, Tulsa (Okla.) World
- Will C. Holden, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Mirjam Swanson, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)
- Ryan Divish, Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune
- Michael Arace, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch
- Dom Amore, Hartford (Conn.) Courant
- Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register
PROJECTS
TOP 5
- Don Coble, Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)
- Rich Radford, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
- Matt Porter, Jeff Greer, Joel Engelhardt, Charles Elmore, Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
- Michael C. Lewis, Kurt Kragthorpe, Brian Maffly, Gordon Monson, Bill Oram, Salt Lake Tribune
- Jon Solomon, Doug Segrest, Birmingham (Ala.) News
HONORABLE MENTION
- Dave Ammenheuser, Gregg Patton, Jim Alexander, Mirjam Swanson, Eric-Paul Johnson, John Murphy, Will C. Holden, Allan Steele, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)
- Dirk Chatelain, Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald
- Cary Aspinwall and Guerin Emig, Tulsa (Okla.) World
- Kyle Veazey, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)
- Tim Griffin, Doug Pils, Brent Zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News
- Todd Jones, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch
30,000-75,000
BEAT WRITING
TOP 5
- Matt Calkins, The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)
- Eric Hansen, South Bend (Ind.) Tribune
- Jeff Mills, News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.)
- Bob Asmussen, The News-Gazette (Champaign, Ill.)
- Jason Wolf, News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Dan Hayes, North County Times (Escondido, Calif.)
- Annabelle Tometich, The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.)
- Stephen Hargis, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press
- Cory Giger, Altoona (Pa.) Mirror
- Chris Gabel, Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal
BREAKING NEWS
TOP 5
- Margaret Moffett Banks, Gerald Witt, Jason Wolf, News & Record (Greensboro, N.C)
- John Turner, Huntsville (Ala.) Times
- Jason Wolf, News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.)
- Marc Morehouse, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette
- Wayne Staats, Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle
HONORABLE MENTION
- Tony Adame, Wichita (Kan.) Eagle
- James Allon, Albany (N.Y.) Times Union
- Glenn Jordan, Portland (Me.) Press Herald
- Landon Negri, North County Times (Escondido, Calif.)
- Craig Handel, Dan DeLuca, Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press
COLUMNS
TOP 5
- Matt Calkins, The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)
- George Schroeder, The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.)
- Austin Meek, Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal
- Kirk Wessler, Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star
- Scott Michaux, Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle
HONORABLE MENTION
- Glenn Guilbeau, Lafayette Advertiser (Gannett Louisana)
- Patrick Obley, Charlotte Sun (Charlotte Harbor, Fla.)
- Donnie Collins, Scranton (Pa.) Times-Tribune
- John Blanchette, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)
- Al Lesar, South Bend (Ind.) Tribune
EXPLANATORY
TOP 5
- Jeff Sanders, North County Times (Escondido, Calif.)
- Dan DeLuca, Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press
- Bob Asmussen, The News-Gazette (Champaign, Ill.)
- Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman (Boise)
- Joe Scalzo, The Vindicator (Youngstown, Ohio)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Alan Blondin, Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News
- Del Milligan, The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.)
- Chris Murray, Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal
- Mark Podolski, The News-Herald (Willoughby, Ohio)
- Adam Fisher, Naples (Fla.) News
FEATURES
TOP 5
- Matt Calkins, The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)
- Corey Clark, Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat
- Patrick Obley, Charlotte Sun (Charlotte Harbor, Fla.)
- Jim Lamar, Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat
- Mick Garry, Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Dan Wiederer, Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer
- Paul Klee, Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette
- Lisa Coffey, The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.)
- Tim Hayes, Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier
- Annabelle Tometich, Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press
PROJECTS
TOP 5
- Terry Vandrovec, The Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
- Chuck Culpepper, The National (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
- Frank Schwab, David Ramsey, Brian Gomez, Brent Briggeman, Joe Paisley, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
- Scott Johnson, The Daily Herald (Everett, Wash.)
- Brian Murphy, Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman (Boise)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Alison Boggs, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)
- Andrew Petersen, Aaron Brenner, Quad-City Times (Davenport, Iowa)
- Chris Murray, Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal
- Scott Michaux, Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle
- Brian Hiro, North County Times (Escondido, Calif.)
UNDER 30,000
BEAT WRITING
TOP 5
- Dustin Dopirak, The Herald-Times (Bloomington, Ind.)
- Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News
- Tommy Deas, The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News
- Jay Morrison, Hamilton JournalNews (Hamilton, Ohio)
- Matt Tait, Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World
HONORABLE MENTION
- Clint Robus, Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune
- David Henry, Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise
- David Matter, Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune
- Jeff Breer, Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
- Christopher Dabe, Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise
BREAKING NEWS
TOP 5
- David Morrison, Kristen Letsinger, Opelika-Auburn (Ala.) News
- Tommy Deas, The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News
- Eric Schmoldt, Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune
- John Sahly, Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, Ill.)
- Nick Talbot, Killeen (Texas) Daily Herald
HONORABLE MENTION
- Jason Franchuk, Provo (Utah) Daily Herald
- Gavin Faretra, Concord (N.H.) Monitor
- Jim Seimas, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.)
- Gary Kalahar, Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot
- William Bretherton, Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal
COLUMNS
TOP 5
- Travis Lazaczyk, Waterville (Me.) Morning Sentinel
- Ryan Kartje, The Herald-Times (Bloomington, Ind.)
- Gavin Faretra, Concord (N.H.) Daily Monitor
- Joe Medley, Anniston (Ala.) Star
- Steve Heiser, York (Pa.) Dispatch
HONORABLE MENTION
- Bob Blubaugh, Carroll County Times (Westminster, Md.)
- Cecil Hurt, The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News
- Lew Freedman, Seymour (Ind.) Tribune
- Harry Plummer, Columbia (Mo.) Missourian
- Joe Walljasper, Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune
EXPLANATORY
TOP 5
- Alex Scarborough, Anthony Bratina, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News
- Julie Jag, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.)
- Jim Seimas, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.)
- David Briggs, Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune
- David Henry, Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise
HONORABLE MENTION
- Jesse Temple, The Star Press (Muncie, Ind.)
- Dick VanOlinda, York (Pa.) Dispatch
- Michael Kelly, The Recorder (Amsterdam, N.Y.)
- Jason Gonzalez, Antelope Valley Press (Palmdale, Calif.)
- Bob Blubaugh, Carroll County Times (Westminster, Md.)
FEATURES
TOP 5
- William Browning, Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune
- Tommy Deas, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News
- Jim Owczarski, Aurora (Ill.) Beacon News
- Ben Frederickson, Columbia (Mo.) Missourian
- Julie Jag, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Lew Freedman, Seymour (Ind.) Tribune
- John Sahly, Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, Ill.)
- Mitch Rupert, Williamsport (Pa.) Sun-Gazette
- Dave Thomas, Yakima (Wash.) Herald Republic
- Adam Zuvanich, Odessa (Texas) American
PROJECTS
TOP 5
- Ian St. Clair, Wyoming Tribune Eagle (Cheyenne)
- Sam McDowell, Jeff Kidd, Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)
- Chase Goodbread, Aaron Suttles, Cecil Hurt, Tommy Deas, Andrew Carroll, Alex Scarborough, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News
- Christopher Dabe,Jared Ainsworth, Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise
- Eric Harding, Merisa Jensen, Eric Smith, Alan Hendry, Jay Heater, Jason Gonzalez, Darren Vaughn, Antelope Valley Press (Palmdale, Calif.)
HONORABLE MENTION
- John Sahly, Ryan Wood, Steve Nitz, Anthony Zilis, Jake Dugger, James Nokes, Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, Ill.)
- Andrew Wagaman, Columbia (Mo.) Missourian
- Dave Allen, Theo Fightmaster, Jessica Bernstein-Wax, Marin Independent Journal (San Rafael, Calif.)
- Alex Byington, Kevin Posival, Angel Verdejo, Killeen (Texas) Daily Herald
- Scott Sandsberry, Yakima (Wash.) Herald Republic
