District Winners Announced for the 2020-21 CoSIDA Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest
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• Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest
Annual Stabley Writing Contest District Winners Announced
by Jeffrey Bernstein, NYU Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
Chair, CoSIDA Fred Stabley Writing Contest Committee
In a year that began like all the rest (but ended nothing like we have ever seen before), 2020 proved to be a challenge to our profession. Nevertheless, despite sports being shut down and campuses emptying, CoSIDA’s Fred Stabley Jr. Writing Contest remained intact and even flourished.
Over 500 submissions of terrific storytelling and writing were entered into the contest, covering eight districts and seven writing categories. Overall, there were 57 district winners (8 districts x 7 categories + 1 tie), and those selected now move on and are being judged for National honors by a six-person committee.
All writing had to be published for the first time between January 1-December 31, 2020.
The Stabley Writing Contest categories are:
- Athlete Profile (current)
- Coach/Administrator Profile (current)
- Event Coverage (current)
- General Feature/Blog
- Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion (new)
- Historical Feature
- Season Recap/Preview
A total of 43 judges were involved in reading, scrutinizing and agonizing over which of these outstanding writing submissions would be deemed “the best.”
Multiple District winners included: Justin Lafleur (Lehigh University) and Mike Mahoney (University of Pennsylvania) in District 2; Colby Wilson (Austin Peay) in District 4; Dan Nolan (Monmouth College) and Brandon Vickrey (Valparaiso) in District 5; Kevin Trainor (Arkansas) in District 6; Darren Miller (Iowa) in District 7; and David Kiefer (Stanford) in District 8. Wilson, Nolan and Trainor each had three winning entries with Kiefer, who has been a long-time national winner, had four of his writing entries earn top honors in District 8.
Any questions about the contest may be directed to Jeffrey Bernstein (New York University), Chairman of the Stabley Writing Contest Committee, at jmb14@nyu.edu.
Congratulations to all the District winners, and thanks to all the committee members and judges for their time and dedication (they will all be revealed after the final national judging has been completed).
2020 Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest Results – District Winners
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland, Price Edward Island, New Brunswick | ||||
| Athlete Profile | Jeremy Hartigan | Cornell University | The Trustee | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Brian Magoffin | Springfield College | On Grief and Community | |
| Event Coverage | Jeffrey Bernstein | NYU | Top Ranked Men's Volleyball Team Wins Again | |
| General Feature/Blog | JJ Klein | Army West Point | A Match with Meaning | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | Dan Campagna | Emmanuel College | Breaking Barriers and Ankles with Jamad Fiin | |
| Historical Feature | Aaron Morse | Bates College | The Inside Story of Bates Football's Only Professional Draft Pick: Tom Carr '66 | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Adam Rubin | Stony Brook University | Historic Season Cut Short, Future Remains Bright for Women's Basketball | |
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 2 Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, District of Columbia | ||||
| Athlete Profile | Nikki Philpot | St. Joseph's University | Michon's Mark | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Justin Lafleur | Lehigh University | John Crawley Finds His Calling as College Coach | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Marisa Lombardo | Alvernia University | Take Me Back To 30 Days Ago: A Reflection On The Whirlwind Month That Was | |
| Event Coverage | Justin Lafleur | Lehigh University | Adopt-A-Family is on and More Impactful Than Ever Before | |
| General Feature/Blog | Mike Mahoney | University of Pennsylvania | QMH: 52 Hours and 55 Minutes of Surreal | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | Mike Mahoney | University of Pennsylvania | QMH: The Process When We Stopped Sticking to Sports | |
| Historical Feature | Justin Kischefsky | U.S. Naval Academy | The 1985-86 Navy Midshipmen: The Greatest Service Academy Basketball Team | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Corey Jewart | Gettysburg College | Gettysburg in Pursuit of New Laurels in 2020 | |
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 3 Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia | ||||
| Athlete Profile | Brian Hand | Conference Carolinas | Michael Neustifter's Courageous Battle to Play Game He Loves Again Allows Him to See Life Differently | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Harry Minium | Old Dominion University | Six Years After His Wife and Unborn Daughter Died, ODU's Tony Lucas Recently Became a Father | |
| Event Coverage | John Heisler | UCF | Replay: Not as Memorable as UCf Had Hoped | |
| General Feature/Blog | Eric Rhew | UNCW | The Pets of CoSIDA | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | Justin Parker | Davidson College | 8 minutes and 46 seconds | |
| Historial Feature | Zach Dirlam | University of Florida | Gators Alum Tommy Aaron's Masters Victory Had a Backstory Unlike Any Other | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Rob Knox | UNC-Greensboro | Southern Conference Champions | |
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 4 Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama | ||||
| Athlete Profile | Bryan Fyalkowski | Western Kentucky University | OMARI NAJEE | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Colby Wilson | Austin Peay State University | Campbell's elevation unique in college football culture | |
| Event Coverage | Colby Wilson | Austin Peay State University | The Sound of Silence | |
| General Feature/Blog | Tony Neeley | University of Kentucky | Football Alum Fidler in the Thick of Covid-19 Efforts | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | Colby Wilson | Austin Peay State University | Terry Taylor Has Something To Say | |
| Historical Feature | Dana Brown | Western Kentucky University | The Month of May | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Tim Letcher | University of Kentucky | Volleyball Seniors Ready for Final Season | |
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 5 Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, Manitoba | ||||
| Athlete Profile | Dan Nolan | Monmouth College | Tragedy to Triumph: Mass Shooting Survivor to Conference Champion Part of Healing Process for Scots' Jones | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Brandon Vickrey | Valparaiso University | A Look Back at the Storied Valpo Coaching Career of Jim Daugherty | |
| Event Coverage | Bob Sakaoto | DePaul University | Quigley a Thoroughbred in NBA HORSE Challenge | |
| General Feature/Blog | Gene McGivern | University of St. Thomas | Gene's Blog: A Prince, a Queen and the The King ride our Purple bandwagon | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | Dan Nolan | Monmouth College | Parents' Sacrifices Motivates Baltierra-Chavez | |
| Historical Feature | Dan Nolan | Monmouth College | Sports Information Perspective: Calling it a Career | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Brandon Vickrey | Valparaiso University | #OneTeamOneBoat: The Story of the 2019-2020 Valpo Men's Basketball Season | |
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 6 Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana | ||||
| Athlete Profile | Brian Ogden | Mississippi State University | For Pops: How a Sudden Tragedy Shaped Fa Leilua | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Ann Marcelli | University of Oklahoma | Little by Little | |
| Event Coverage | Murray Evans | Oklahoma Christian University | Defensive gem lifts Eagles to rout of ranked Dallas Baptist squad | |
| General Feature/Blog | Edward Bailey | Prairie View A&M University | Keona's Biggest Fight | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | Kevin Trainor | University of Arkansas | A Glance Inside the Door | |
| Historical Feature | Kevin Trainor | University of Arkansas | Breaking Up was Right Thing to Do | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Kevin Trainor | University of Arkansas | A Message To The Memorable Razorback Moments We Never Had | |
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 7 Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Saskatchewan, Alberta | ||||
| Athlete Profile | Darren Miller | University of Iowa | Mueller Humbled by Hancher-Finkbine Medallion | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Jacob Knabel | Concordia University, Nebraska | Goldgrabe played key role in rise of Concordia women's athletics | |
| Event Coverage | Bill Lamberty | Montana State University | Unflappable Fallyn Freije Lets Flow After Leading Cats Past Lady Griz | |
| General Feature/Blog | Joel Carlson | University of Montana | Riley Corcoran would like to tell you a story | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | Charles Snelson | University of Montana Billings | Anne Lory Chevalier seizes opportunities to succeed | |
| Historical Feature | Darren Miller | University of Iowa | Caldwell Completed Passes in 1970s, Completes Degree in 2020 | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Ian McClanahan | Dakota Wesleyan University | Grateful for their Opportunity: Tigers welcome challenging season ahead | |
| District | Category | Winner's Name | School | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 8 Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon | ||||
| Athlete Profile | David Kiefer | Stanford University | United in One | |
| Coach/Administrator Profile | Jared Prescott | University of California | A Special First Mother's Day | |
| Event Coverage | David Kiefer | Stanford University | Together While Apart | |
| General Feataure/Blog | David Kiefer | Stanford University | Different Paths, Same Destination | |
| Social Justice/Diversity & Inclusion | David Kiefer | Stanford University | A Time to be Heard | |
| Historical Feature | Craig Craker | Northwest Nazarene University | Rock Simmons came for basketball and left with a passion to make a difference | |
| Season Recap/Preview | Connor Pelton | San José State University | The Anatomy Of A Turnaround | |
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