Fletcher Page of the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald took first place in the Associated Press Sports Editors contest in the column writing category in the Under-30,000 circulation category for his entry of five columns published in 2015.
Page will be presented a first-place plaque at the 2016 APSE banquet. The banquet and awards dinner concludes the APSE Conference June 22-25 at the Omni-Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C.
Balloting by six APSE judges ranked Page ahead of runner-up Mark Selig of the Columbia Missourian and third-place finisher Duane Rankin of the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. The contest is open to APSE members. Click here to join.
Sports editors in the Under 30,000 circulation category submitted a total of 55 breaking news entries written or directed by APSE member sports departments in 2015. Contest chair and APSE first vice president Tommy Deas numbered each entry, assuring they had been stripped of headlines, graphics, bylines and any other element that would identify the writer or news organization.
In late February-early March at Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., preliminary judges selected a top 10 ranked, with each judge listing the stories in order from 1 to 10 separately on a secret ballot. The final 10 were given to a second judging group, which also ranked the entries 1-10 in the same fashion. The winner and final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots, giving a team 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for second and so on down to 1 point for a 10th-place vote.
The top 10 is listed below with links to writers’ Twitter pages, APSE member websites and winning entries.
1. Fletcher Page, Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald, 47 points
Former Bulldogs have a network for life
Andy Landers: ‘The more you care, the more they care back’
UGA’s Schott in the dark decisions at QB keep missing
For Coach Link, the view must be fantastic
After a painful journey, a single pitch helps make a dream come true
2. Mark Selig, Columbia Missourian, 43 points, 3 first-place votes
The Michael Porter Jr. experience is must-see action
Just like her: Columbia girl meets basketball hero Zach Hodskins
Alden’s legacy highlighted by growth, but missteps should be more than just footnotes
Missouri’s “Takeover” made new memories of the old
3. Duane Rankin, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, 37 points, 1 first-place votes
Saban, Malzahn could make big impact regarding flag
Proud parents celebrate son’s MVP performance
Boyd keeps fumbling on ASU football
Alabama fueling Bielema, Razorbacks
Pondering Iron Bowl thoughts during game
4. Mike DeFabo, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, Ill.), 35 points
Marengo softball’s unofficial official scorekeeper always has a good seat
Marengo fans show up to celebrate season to remember
Hampshire’s Barnett says goodbye to coaching after ‘good run’
Huntley’s Andrews wills team to sectional title
Johnsburg wrestling celebrates Jarett Wolff’s survival on emotional night
5. Don Williams, Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal, 34 points, 1 first-place vote
Mayfield needs to quit playing politics and just play
Will Texas Tech’s IPF be worth the cost?
Here to stay: Kliff Kingsbury’s not on the hot seat; his contract assures it
All atwitter: Bethel’s social media words spark fuss
Mahomes proved himself as answer to Kingsbury’s quarterback problem
6. Cecil Hurt, The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News, 33 points
Sunshine is gone, but the team will move forward
History has its place, but not atop a flagpole
Young people, no matter how big and strong, can have problems
Something has to change for Alabama basketball
No one was quite like Kenny Stabler
7. Peter Jackel, The Journal Times (Racine, Wisc.), 32 points
NBA veteran calls retired sergeant ‘guardian angel’ for decision in 1998 drug raid
Lucroy restores bounce in Radke’s step
My wife lived a life worth celebrating
The lure of sports dulls our perspective
8. Jeremy Price, The Herald Times (Bloomington, Ind.), 29 points
Life was a dance for Brian Jones
Patience, not news conferences, a virtue
No more knuckleheads necessary at IU
Stop me if you’ve heard this before…
Too many unknowns temper expectations for Hoosiers
9. Bobby La Gesse, Ames (Iowa) Tribune, 22 points, 1 first-place vote
ISU tourney loss goes beyond a nightmare
Hoiberg’s closing number bring closure
How Annie Pollard helped save the life of her dad, Jamie Pollard
Rhoads couldn’t keep big moments coming
Paul Rhoads the son comes out at Alzheimer’s events
10. Justin Pelletier, Sun Journal (Lewiston,Maine), 13 points
Together, continued change is possible
Gillies family dynasty alive and well
