Best Sports Story ( More than 15,000 Students)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: San Jose State University Entry Title: Athletes feel pressures: mind or body Entry Credit: Jesus Tellitud Judge Comment: Awesome reporting and writing job, on a subject that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention until recently. I really liked the way the writer explored why college athletes feel such pressure and stress.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: San Diego State University Entry Title: One year later, women’s rowing still looks for answers after sudden cut Entry Credit: Jason Freund Judge Comment: Excellent reporting on a decision that apparently came out of nowhere from SDSU's athletic department.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: University of California, Los Angeles Entry Title: UCLA football takes down USC in highest-scoring win of 2021 season Entry Credit: Jared Tay Judge Comment: I love the lede. (And I love the fact that the student photographer was there to capture the moment when DTR signed the kid’s hat.) A thorough and professional job on UCLA’s rivalry victory.
Competition Comment: It was a tough call because there were six stories in this category that could have gone into the top three. If I were to do an honorable mention it would include the story on Long Beach State athletics' budget difficulties in the wake of COVID-19; the story on the discrepancy between men's and women's coaching salaries at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo), and the feature on the relationship between MMA and the students taking martial arts classes at Cal Poly Pomona. Good job, everyone!
