National and District Winners Announced for the 2018-19 CoSIDA Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest

National and District Winners Announced for the 2018-19 CoSIDA Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest

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Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest 

National and District Winners Announced for the 2018-19 CoSIDA Stabley Writing Contest
 
by Jeffrey Bernstein, NYU Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information, Chair, CoSIDA Fred Stabley Writing Contest Committee
 
Nearly 400 entries were submitted for this year’s edition of the CoSIDA Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest, giving committee members and judges lots of excellence to choose from. After several weeks of poring through articles, blogs and videos covering all seven contest categories, district and national winners were selected for 2019, with David Kiefer of Stanford University, last year’s National Story of the Year winner, repeating again with this year's National Story of the Year.
 
Kiefer's Athlete Profile  entry – “Jaylen Jasper: My Story of Appreciation” earned top honors. The featue focused on a first-person narrative from Jasper, a Stanford men's volleyball student-athlete and top national recruit, as Jaylen recounted his path to Stanford and family heartbreak, perseverance and strengthened family bonds as his 14-year old brother, Jarren, was near death from a heart condition.

In addition to penning the National Story of the Year, Kiefer also received a second top national honor as his Coach/Administrator Profile/Historical Feature – “1998 Final Four Team” - took top honors in that category.
 
This year’s other national winners were Zach Dirlam (University of Florida), Event Coverage – “Finishing the NCAA Championships Heptathlon: A Visual Story”; Ali Paquette (Wesleyan University) – “We Are Wes Feature 1 – Brian O’Rourke”; Chelsey Kraft (University of Oklahoma), Story w/Video – “The Butterfly Connection”; and Bryan Fyalkowski (Western Kentucky University) – “Quadruple Threat” and Adam Zundell (Mountain East Conference), Blog/Interview - "Part Of The Team."
 
“The committee members and judges put in a great deal of time and effort in going through terrific work and picking out the best of the best,” noted Jeff Bernstein, NYU Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information and chair of the Stabley Writing Committee. “It is very reassuring to know that we have some great writers within our organization. This proves that the written word is far from dead.” 

The 2018-19 contest drew 361 total entries with the Athlete Profile category leading the way with 76 submissions.
 
These were the breakdowns for the rest of categories:
Event Coverage – 72
General Feature – 68
Coach/Administrator Profile/Historical Feature – 62
Season Recap/Preview - 35
Story w/Video - 35 
Blog/Interview - 13
 
Submissions were first judged at the district level with winners advancing to a national committee. The national winners were then selected, as was the National Story of the Year.

Members of the 2018-19 Fred Stabley Writing Contest Committee were:
Jeffrey Bernstein (NYU); Barry Beal (The College of New Jersey); Joshua Cornwall (Agnes Scott College); Mike Falk (Muhlenberg College); Lance Franey (Whittier College); Joe Giustina (Lycoming College); Emily Loux (Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference); Miles McQuiggan (Bryant University); Dan Ryan (Bethune-Cookman University); Casey Schermick (LIU-Post); Kevin Trainor (University of Arkansas)
 
Also contributing as district judges were: John Beisser (Wagner College), Joe DiBari (Fordham University), Bud Ford (University of Tennessee), Daniel Gallegos (University of New Mexico), Jack Goodwillie (California Institute of Technology), Matt Hagy (Albright College), Devon Lucal (Washington State University), Paul Marboe (Penn State University), Andrew Mindemann (Covenant College), Neil Morgan (Biola University), Greg Royce (Stevenson University), Steve Sheridan (Union College), Len Skoros (Hofstra University), Nick Solari (Quinnipiac College), Marie Stroman (Middle Atlantic Conference), Kelly Thompson (Molloy College), Jeri Thorpe (University of Arkansas), James Wagner (Colonial States Athletic Conference), Drew Wilson (Averett University), Bob Zaide (King’s College).
 
A list of all the 2018-19 Fred Stabley Writing Contest winners are detailed below, with links to each story provided.
 
 
2018-19 Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest Results – National Winners

Story of the Year (Athlete Profile)
David Kiefer (Stanford), District 8, “Jaylen Jasper: My Story of Appreciation

Athlete Profile
David Kiefer (Stanford), District 8, “Jaylen Jasper: My Story of Appreciation

Blog/Interview
Adam Zundell (Moutain West Conference), District 2, "Part Of The Team"

Coach/Administrator Profile & Historical Feature

David Kiefer (Stanford University), District 8, “1998 Final Four Team

Event Coverage
Zach Dirlam (Florida), District 3, “Finishing the NCAA Championships Heptathlon: A Visual Story

General Feature
Ali Paquette (Wesleyan (Conn.)), District 1, “We Are Wes Feature 1 – Brian O’Rourke

Season Preview/Recap
Bryan Fyalkowski (Western Kentucky), District 4, “Quadruple Threat

Story With Video
Chelsey Kraft with Jessica Coody (Oklahoma), District 6, “The Butterfly Connection


2018-19 Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest Results – District Winners
 
District 1
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete Ryan Long University of Maine Strike Out The Stigma
Coach/Admin/Historical Aaron Morse Bates College With his ‘Fresh’ approach, Al Fereshetian makes history with Bates track and field throwers
Event Scott Eddy St. Bonaventure University #BonniesDance: St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball 2018 NCAA Tournament
General Ali Paquette Wesleyan (Conn.) University We Are Wes - Feature I - Brian O'Rourke
Blog/Interview Scott Dietz Babson College Trio of Project TEAM Student-Athletes Attends Apple Conference
Story With Video Rick Bender Dartmouth College The Curious Son of Sidd Finch
Season Preview/Recap Sarah Kirkpatrick American International College Baseball Breaks New Ground
Season Preview/Recap Ashley Robbins UMass Lowell River Hawks Make a Statement in First Year of Full DI Eligibility
District 2
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete Ethan Hulsey Millersville University A chance meeting changes course for Lopez, Marauders
Coach/Admin/Historical Ethan Hulsey Millersville University 100 Years of Women's Athletics
Event Ira Thor New Jersey City University Mmmm Bacon! Bacon Sisters Combine for 46 Points as #NJCUWBB Snaps Lengthy Losing Skid with Second Half Comeback
General Rob Knox Towson University Wallace's Special Gift To Turner Is One To Cherish
Blog/Interview Adam Zundell Mountain East Conference Part Of The Team
Story With Video Corey Jewart Gettysburg College Baseball, Softball Team Up for Home Run Derby Fundraiser
Season Preview/Recap Corey Jewart Gettysburg College Defending National Champs Focused on 2018
District 3
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete Zach Dirlam University of Florida Human, or Super Saiyan? Grant Holloway Keeps the World Wondering
Coach/Admin/Historical Chris Cook Longwood University Building A Dynasty: How Kathy Riley Forged Longwood's Softball Powerhouse
Event Zach Dirlam University of Florida Finishing the NCAA Championships Heptathlon: A Visual Story
General Jimmy Robertson Virginia Tech Tech Athletics involved in creating revolutionary blood test for concussions
Blog/Interview Dan Ryan Bethune-Cookman University Dan Ryan: Hall of Fame Induction News A Shared Joy
Story With Video Dale Long Georgia Gwinnett College One- Six 
Season Preview/Recap Zach Dirlam University of Florida The Mission Continues: Florida Gators Track & Field 2018 Season Preview
District 4
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete Bryan Fyalkowski Western Kentucky University I'm So Proud Of You, Buddy, I Love You
Coach/Admin/Historical Cody Wilson Austin Peay State University The Odyssey: Rouco's fascinating journey through a life of basketball
Event Thomas Corhern  Tennessee Tech University Wilmore receives NCAA's highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Award
General Erin Madden Baldwin Wallace University Makowski Hits All the Right Notes as a Conservatory Student-Athlete
Blog/Interview Colby Wilson Austin Peay State University Here Comes Hudspeth: Day One with Austin Peay's new head coach
Story With Video Craig Hicks Denison University Denison men's swimming & diving wins fourth national championship
Season Preview/Recap Bryan Fyalkowski Western Kentucky University Quadruple Threat
District 5
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete Mandy Hansen University of Minnesota Full Strength: Cameranesi Cherishes Olympic Opportunity
Coach/Admin/Historical Bob Sakamoto DePaul University Celebrating the Courageous Legacy of Jack Dean
Event Bob Sakamoto DePaul University Special Olympics Brings Our World Closer Together
General John Heisler University of Notre Dame Rudy: He Roots for the Irish--They Root for Him
Blog/Interview Gene McGivern St. Thomas (Minn.) University Difficult To Replace, Impossible To Forget
Story With Video Brandon Vickrey Valparaiso University Dani Franklin: Teacher by Day, Student-Athlete by Night, Always a Champion
Season Preview/Recap John Heisler University of Notre Dame Sunday Brunch: Irish Women (At Some Point) Move On
District 6
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete Murray Evans Oklahoma Christian University Livestock showing yet another area of excellence for OC’s Stanford
Athlete Wes Bloomquist Texas Tech University SPOTLIGHT: Brandone Francis
Coach/Admin/Historical Murray Evans Oklahoma Christian University Softball coach Heath, an OC institution, set to retire
Event Ryan Cameron Oklahoma State University When The Cowboys Talk...
General Chelsey Kraft University of Oklahoma Winning An Unseen Battle
Story With Video Chelsey Kraft w/ Jessica Coody University of Oklahoma The Butterfly Connection
Season Preview/Recap Murray Evans Oklahoma Christian University Experience, depth should bode well for Lady Eagles in 2018
District 7
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete Corbin McGuire Kansas State University ‘I Think I like Being Bald’ — K-State WBB Senior Kali Jones’ Journey to Handling Alopecia with Confidence
Coach/Admin/Historical Jake Knabel Concordia University (Neb.) A relationship built on the volleyball courts of Nebraska
Event Joel Carlson University of Montana Griz topple Bears, win Big Sky title
General Mike Green Iowa State University How Attention To Details Helped Win The Liberty Bowl
Story With Video Darren Miller University of Iowa Humble off the mat, animal on the mat
Season Preview/Recap Ryan Davis Missouri Valley Conference Drake Picked to Win Third-Straight MVC Women’s Hoops Crown
Season Preview/Recap Corbin McGuire Kansas State University K-State MBB Knows Time will Help Alleviate Sting of Elite Eight Loss, Create Appreciation for NCAA Tournament Run
District 8
Category Winner's Name School Title
Athlete David Kiefer Stanford University Jaylen Jasper: My Story Of Appreciation
Coach/Admin/Historical David Kiefer Stanford University 1998 Final Four Team
Event Mara Rudolph University of California Bear Brilliance Boosts Cal to Upset No. 4 Utah
General Jonathan Okanes University of California 'He Gives You A Great Cal Broadcast'
General Ben Enos University of California He Knows The Story
Blog/Interview Akilah Laster University of California Hawai'i Quick Pitch With Kama
Story With Video Mara Rudolph University of California Meant to Bee
Season Preview/Recap Andy Jobanek Portland State University Vikings Ready to Make Another Big Sky Tournament Run as Season Opens at Oregon Friday