Trib Sports section honored with Associated Press Sports Editors award

The Tribune-Review was selected by national Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) as one of the top 10 daily and Sunday sports sections in the United States for its circulation division.

Results of the 2020 APSE Section Contest were announced last weekend.

“APSE’s section contest is a look at your overall body of work throughout the year,” Bill Hartlep, sports editor for Trib Total Media, said. “The way they judge is they look at your section to see how complete it is. They want to see that you have coverage of professional, college and local sports at a high school level.”

Judges also consider things such as photography, page design and columns.

For each competition, entrants submit their sections from specific days — along with a few samples of their choosing — to showcase samples of their work throughout the year. One paper that was judged this year was around the Super Bowl, when the Trib published an in-depth story about how women have taken on more notable roles in football by coaching and refereeing, Hartlep said.

“Something I would hope every sports editor strives for, and certainly we do, is to strive to have the best coverage possible for our audience,” Hartlep said.

Winning these APSE awards is a testament to an entire team’s dedication to the sports section, Hartlep said.

“It shows that complete section, where so many people are involved from the writers and the columnists to the photographers and the copy editors and those in the page design process. There are so many hands involved in the section,” Hartlep said. “It’s rewarding for all those involved to be recognized for their hard work. I recognize how much these guys do every day, and it’s nice to see others recognize that.”

In addition to the Section Contest, individual sports writers also were recognized in the APSE contest.

Tim Benz won first place in the APSE contest in Long Feature for the Trib’s circulation division.

Chris Harlan ranked in eighth place for their game story category.

Mark Madden was named a finalist for his columns.

Achieving these recognitions, Hartlep said, inspires them to continue striving to provide in-depth sports coverage.

“It certainly makes you want to uphold that standard,” he said. “You want to make sure you’re always doing the best work possible.

“These guys want to cover these teams to the best of their ability, and they want to provide information for the readers, and also entertainment. That’s what sports is. Readers want to enjoy what they’re reading.”

The APSE awards are the latest in a slew of awards the Trib’s sports section has earned this year. Other awards include:

•SPJ Awards: Blog, Seth Rorabaugh — First place

•SPJ Awards: Headline Writing — First place

•SPJ Awards: Sports Column, Tim Benz — Second place

•SPJ Awards: Sports Page Design — First, second and third place

•Penn State University’s Bellisario Award: Finalist coverage of youth sports, Chris Harlan

•Keystone Awards: Sports/Outdoor Column, Tim Benz — Second place

•Keystone Awards: Sports Page Design, staff — Honorable mention

•Keystone Awards: Special Section — Second Place