TSWA announces annual writing contest winners

June 10, 2023 Forrest Freeman

TSWA 2022 WRITING CONTEST RESULTS
DIVISION 1
GARY LUNDY WRITER OF THE YEAR – 1. Geoff Calkins, Daily Memphian: There wasn’t much separation in the top three places. One writer entered all columns, another two features and a column, and another a mixture of a column, a feature and a news story. Each writer had one entry that stood out, whether it was a column on the 20th anniversary of the Lewis-Tyson fight, a feature on the 10th anniversary of Whitehaven’s state football championship team, or a news story gleaned from obtaining the University of Tennessee’s response to the NCAA about the Vols’ boatload of rules violations. The winner was consistently excellent, able to weave opinions with scenes and memories. 2. Adam Sparks, Knoxville News-Sentinel 3. John Varlas, Daily Memphian.

BEST COLUMNIST – 1. Geoff Calkins, Daily Memphian: The winner is an excellent example of what a local columnist should be – someone thoroughly connected to his or her city who understands what truly matters to the readership and isn’t afraid to take an unpopular stand. And someone who grabs unique subject matter and knocks it out of the park with a deft writing touch. 2. John Adams, Knoxville News-Sentinel. 3. Adam Sparks, Knoxville News-Sentinel.

BEST FEATURE WRITER – 1. Adam Sparks, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Winner delivered a trio of fascinating stories from a smartly-written deep dive on Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt to a wonderfully quirky take of a photobomber from a 1982 picture of a postgame handshake between football coaches Johnny Majors of Tennessee and Bear Bryant of Alabama. 2. Tim Buckley, Daily Memphian 3. Teresa Walker, The Associated Press.

BEST EVENT WRITER – 1. Adam Sparks, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Sometimes as the event unfolds, it grows in so much stature that it can force sensory overload on a writer. The winner of this category didn’t let that happen, particularly with his story of Tennessee’s dramatic football win over Alabama. He inhaled the postgame chaos and weaved it nicely into what he had witnessed the previous 3½ hours. 2. Stephen Hargis, Chattanooga Times-Free Press. 3. Parth Upadhyaya, Daily Memphian.

BEST PREP WRITER – 1. John Varlas, Daily Memphian: Clear-cut winner. This writer’s stories are so full of everything – facts, voices, perspectives, and experienced insight. You can tell this writer writes with enthusiasm and purpose and loves shedding light on subjects that often get overlooked. 2. Stephen Hargis, Chattanooga Times-Free Press 3. Cecil Joyce, Daily News Journal.

BEST INVESTIGATIVE/SERIES – 1. Drew Hill, Daily Memphian: Money well-invested to send this writer to Ja Morant’s hometown to produce the “Becoming Ja” three-part series. There was so much insight, and it was all incredibly well-written. And it had to be because the second and third-place finishers in this category could win a lot of writing contests. 2. Adam Sparks, Knoxville News-Sentinel. 3. Tim Buckley, Daily Memphian.

BEST SPECIAL SECTIONS (ALL DIVISIONS COMBINED) – 1. The Union City Messenger (Kevin Weaks): This section has the extras the others don’t. The graphics are excellent. Headshots of players to watch bordering the left side of the page, the previous season’s results, stat leaders and team stats bordering the right side, and the team schedule along the bottom with a smarty written preview that jumps to a page with a team picture. The area teams in this section must be pleased as well as the newspaper who made a lot of ad revenue off this section. 2. Chattanooga Times-Free Press (Stephen Hargis) 3. Williamson Herald (Charles Pulliam).

NOTE: DID NOT HAVE MULTIPLE ENTRIES TO JUDGE BEST DAILY SECTION, BEST NEWS WRITER, BEST INDIVIDUAL LAYOUT AND BEST OUTDOOR WRITER

DIVISION II and III (COMBINED DUE TO JUST ONE DIVISION II WRITER ENTRANT)
GARY LUNDY WRITER OF THE YEAR – 1. Cecil Joyce, Daily News Journal: A very close call between first and second place in this category. The winner entered three detailed features with plenty of voices and perspectives. The runner-up entered three event stories, including a track story on the girls' 800-meter state champion overcoming severe cramping that stood out as the best individual story among all WOY entries. But as a group of three stories, the winner of this category had a slight edge. 2. Charles Pulliam, Williamson Herald. 3. Kevin Weaks, Union City Messenger.

BEST FEATURE WRITER – 1. Cecil Joyce, Daily News Journal: Three diverse features including a nostalgic look at the 50th-year anniversary of MTSU’s Murphy Center. But what got the writer the win in this category was his deep-dive feature of a one-time runt playing high school football who has become one of the best high school coaches in the state. 2. Charles Pulliam, Williamson Herald. 3. Kevin Weaks, Union City Messenger.

BEST EVENT/NEWS WRITER – 1. 2. Kevin Weaks, Union City Messenger: Two of the winner’s three stories involved conference expansions in the Missouri Valley and the Ohio Valley. These can be complex and confusing, but this writer wrote well-organized, detailed stories with a nice sprinkling of quotes. 2. Charles Pulliam, Williamson Herald. 3. Cecil Joyce, Daily News Journal

NOTE: DID NOT HAVE MULTIPLE ENTRIES TO JUDGE BEST PREP WRITER, BEST COLUMNIST, BEST SECTION AND BEST INDIVIDUAL LAYOUT. A BEST COLUMNIST ENTRY AND A BEST PREP ENTRY WERE MOVED TO DIVISION I.

DIVISION IV
BEST FEATURE WRITER – 1. Graham Hays, Vanderbilt: All three features were thorough but not overwhelming. His standout feature was on Vandy men's golfer Gordon Sargent, an excellent profile that starts with Sargent winning the NCAA individual national championship in a playoff after missing a putt on the 18th hole that could have won it in regulation. Wonderfully descriptive, but not overwritten. 2. Chad Bishop, Vanderbilt 3. Thomas Corhern, Tennessee Tech.

BEST EVENT WRITER – 1. Chad Bishop, Vanderbilt: Each of the winner’s event stories had all the needed elements. Creative ledes, yet the basics (score, team records, when, where, teams involved) were high in the stories. Good story flow. Didn’t get bogged down in play-by-play. Just the right touch of quotes. Took the reader to the scene of the event without overwriting. 2. Thomas Corhern, Tennessee Tech 3. None awarded.

Belmont’s Slaughter, Middle Tennessee’s Swan earn TSWA weekly honors

May 16, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont’s Sam Slaughter and Middle Tennessee’s Eriq Swan were named the baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from May 8-14.

Slaughter batted .429 (6-for-15) with one double, two home runs, four RBIs and five runs scored in four games for the Bruins. The Smyrna, Tenn., native posted two hits with a walk and two runs scored in a midweek contest against Lipscomb.

The junior doubled and drove in a run in the first of a three-game series versus Valparaiso and belted a two-run homer in the first inning of Saturday’s contest against the Beacons, part of a two-hit day. In the series finale he added a solo home run and scored twice.

For the season Slaughter is hitting .271 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 23 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 44 games with 36 starts for Belmont.

Swan worked 5.2 hitless innings against UAB, allowing one run with five strikeouts. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native retired the first 12 batters of the game before issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth, but he induced a doubleplay to erase the runner and faced the minimum through five innings.

The junior righthander set down the first two batters of the sixth before allowing another walk and was pulled from the game. UAB hit a two-run homer later in the inning, with a run charged to Swan. He has struggled through much of this season, posting a 1-6 mark with a 7.41 ERA in 14 appearances covering 51.0 innings, striking out 58 with 37 walks.

2023 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 21 – Jack Roode, University of the South (Player); Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
February 28 – Jared Dickey, Tennessee (Player); Chase Burns, Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 7 – Blake Burke, Tennessee (Player); Chase Dollander, Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 14 – Cole Turney, Cumberland University (Player); Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 21 – Gabe Jennings, Middle Tennessee (Player); Hunter Owen, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
March 28 – Parker Noland, Vanderbilt (Player); Noah Thompson, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
April 4 – Eston Snider, Middle Tennessee (Player); Devin Futrell, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 12 – Austin Kelly, Lipscomb (Player); Logan Van Treeck, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
April 18 – Chris Hall, Lincoln Memorial (Player); Matt Munn, University of the South (Pitcher)
April 25 – Jeremiah Boyd, Middle Tennessee (Player); Jack Keele, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)
May 2 – Christian Scott, Tennessee (Player); James Sells, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
May 9 – Joey Parliment, Trevecca Nazarene (Player); Logan Van Treeck, Lipscomb (Pitcher)

Trevecca’s Parliment, Lipscomb’s Van Treeck earn TSWA weekly honors

May 9, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trevecca Nazarene’s Joey Parliment and Lipscomb’s Logan Van Treeck were named the baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from May 1-7.

Parliment batted .500 (6-for-12) with three home runs, five RBIs, six runs scored and six walks in a four-game series against Tiffin University. The Gordonsville, Tenn., native posted two hits and scored a run in the first contest versus the Dragons and belted a pair of solo homers and walked twice in the second contest, a 4-2 TNU victory.

The junior homered again in the third game of the series, another solo shot, scored twice, added another RBI and collected two more free passes. In the series finale he walked twice, scored once and recorded one RBI.

Parliment is hitting .380 with eight doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 29 RBIs and 44 runs scored in 43 games this season. He has posted 27 walks and a .482 on-base percentage as well.

Van Treeck tossed a complete game against Kennesaw State, allowing just one run with nine strikeouts in nine innings in a 2-1 victory in the first of a three-game series. The Lincoln, Neb., native gave up two hits and walked three. The junior lefthander retired the side in order in the first, fifth, seventh and eighth innings and allowed just two baserunners (one single, one walk) after a solo homer in the fourth tied the contest at one.

Van Treeck upped his record this season to 5-4 with a 3.46 ERA over 13 appearances and six starts covering 65.0 innings. He has allowed 48 hits with nine walks and 84 strikeouts and opponents are batting just .203 against him.

2022-23 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 21 – Jack Roode, University of the South (Player); Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
February 28 – Jared Dickey, Tennessee (Player); Chase Burns, Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 7 – Blake Burke, Tennessee (Player); Chase Dollander, Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 14 – Cole Turney, Cumberland University (Player); Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 21 – Gabe Jennings, Middle Tennessee (Player); Hunter Owen, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
March 28 – Parker Noland, Vanderbilt (Player); Noah Thompson, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
April 4 – Eston Snider, Middle Tennessee (Player); Devin Futrell, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 12 – Austin Kelly, Lipscomb (Player); Logan Van Treeck, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
April 18 – Chris Hall, Lincoln Memorial (Player); Matt Munn, University of the South (Pitcher)
April 25 – Jeremiah Boyd, Middle Tennessee (Player); Jack Keele, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)
May 2 – Christian Scott, Tennessee (Player); James Sells, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)

Tennessee State’s Fointno, Manus garner TSWA weekly accolades

May 9, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee State’s Peyton Fointno and Caitlyn Manus garnered softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from May 1-7.

Fointno batted .857 (6-for-7) with five RBIs and one run scored in a three-game series against Morehead State. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native singled and walked in the first contest against the Eagles and posted three hits and five RBIs in the second outing, including an RBI single and a pair of two-run singles in a 7-4 victory.

The junior collected two more hits and scored a run in the series finale. For the season Fointno is hitting .235 with three doubles, two triples, 24 RBIs and 23 runs scored in 46 games.

Manus posted a 2-0 mark in 12.0 innings, giving up 10 hits with 10 strikeouts in a pair of outings. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native allowed two runs on three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in a complete game in a 4-2 win to open the series against Morehead.

In the series finale she gave up two runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts in a rain-shortened 3-2 victory in five innings. Manus has posted a 15-13 record in 34 appearances with 24 starts covering 168.1 innings this year. She has allowed 180 hits with 64 walks and 93 strikeouts.

2022-23 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 21 – Macey Neal, Union University (Player)
February 28 – Chloe Kleischmidt, Tusculum University (Player); Rylee Gattis, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)
March 7 – Acelynn Sellers, Chattanooga (Player); Alyssa Lavdis, Chattanooga (Pitcher)
March 14 – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (Player); Ashlan Sensing, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)
March 21 – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (Player); Caitlyn Manus, Tennessee State (Pitcher)
March 28 – Kendall Andrews, Trevecca Nazarene (Player); Savana Luper, King University (Pitcher)
April 4 – McKenzie Henry, Lincoln Memorial (Player); Ashlan Sensing, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)
April 12 – Megan Hodum, Austin Peay (Player); Jordan Benefiel, Austin Peay (Pitcher)
April 18 – McKenna Gibson, Tennessee (Player), Jordan Benefiel, Austin Peay (Pitcher)
April 25 – Jessica Campbell, King University (Player); Madison Walter, King University (Pitcher)
May 2 – Kaili Phillips, Chattanooga (Player); Ashlan Sensing, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)

Chattanooga’s Phillips, Trevecca’s Sensing garner TSWA weekly accolades

May 2, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Chattanooga’s Kaili Phillips and Trevecca Nazarene’s Ashlan Sensing garnered softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 24-30.

Phillips batted .500 (4-for-8) with two home runs, two RBIs and six walks, reaching base 12 times in a three-game series against Furman. The Harrison, Tenn., native singled, walked three times and scored twice in the series opener against the Paladins.

The junior infielder belted a solo homer to leadoff the sixth inning in the second contest, sparking a six-run inning en route to a victory. In the series finale she led off the contest with another solo shot and finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Phillips is hitting a team-best .342 with 11 doubles, nine homers, 27 RBIs and 34 runs scored in 41 games this season for UTC.

Sensing tossed her second no-hitter of the season in her only appearance of the week, missing out on a second perfect game because of an error. The sophomore righthander struck out five but committed an error in the third inning for Lake Erie’s only runner of the game. Trevecca’s weekend series at Ursuline College was rained out.

Sensing improved to 16-7 this season with a 1.28 ERA in 29 appearances (24 starts) covering 159.0 innings. She has allowed 116 hits with just 11 walks and 164 strikeouts and opponents are batting just .197.