Nick Wilson of The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida, won first place in the Division C breaking news category of the 2025 Associated Press Sports Editors contest.
Wilson’s winning entry reported that the parents of Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bucknell University, along with several coaches and administrators, in April 2025 – about nine months after Dickey collapsed during his first practice in a Bucknell uniform. Dickey was immediately transported to the hospital, where according to the lawsuit filed by the family’s attorney, his condition deteriorated until he ultimately died.
APSE contest winners will be honored at the 2026 APSE Summer Conference banquet July 18 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. Registration for the conference is open; you can register right here.
Wilson will receive a first-place plaque. The second- through 10th-place finishers will receive frame-worthy certificates.
Sports editors submitted 76 entries in the Division C breaking news category. Contest chair Perryn Keys and APSE officers Paul Barrett, Erik Hall and Tony Maluso prepared the entries.
Contest results: Digital, print and podcasts | Writing and photography
Judges convened in late February, in person at the APSE Winter Conference in Las Vegas and remotely around the nation, to select the top entrants. The committee determined nine finalists, with each judge ranking the entries in order from 1 to 10. The final 10 were given to a second judging group in late February and March, ranking the entries from Nos. 1 to 10 in the same fashion.
The final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots.
The top 10 are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses, along with links to the winning entries.
The contest is open to APSE members. Click here to join.
1. Nick Wilson, The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.) (3)
2. Dan DeLuca, The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.) (2)
3. Nick Harris and Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
4. Amie Just, Lincoln Journal Star
5. Sean Davis, Wisconsin State Journal
6. Jason Munz, The Commercial Appeal (1)
7. Taylor Eldridge, The Wichita Eagle
8. Travis Brown, KBTX.com
9. Garry Smits, Florida Times-Union
10. Matt Case and Mark Berman, The Roanoke Times
