Newsday's sports section earns seven APSE wins

Newsday earned seven top-10 finishes in the annual Associated Press Sports Editors contest, placing in the top 10 nationally for daily and Sunday print section portfolio, digital portfolio, special section, investigative, action photo and feature photo.

The results were announced this week at APSE’s winter conference in Orlando, Florida.

“I’m extremely proud of the work this talented and hard-working staff does every day,” said Hank Winnicki, Newsday’s assistant managing editor for sports. “This is a tremendous accomplishment because the competition is so tough. These awards speak to the great storytelling and journalism we’re doing across platforms. Everyone in the sports department should take a bow.”

Three of Newsday’s winning entries — daily and Sunday section portfolio, digital portfolio and action photo — were honored in “Division A,” the largest circulation category in the nation. The special section entry was honored in a combined “Divisions A & B” category. There is no circulation division for the investigative category, with all entries judged together.

Newsday’s print portfolio, a selection of daily and Sunday sections, included coverage of the Yankees vs. the Dodgers in the World Series; the Mets in the Division Series against the Phillies; the Jets’ firing of head coach Robert Saleh; the Rangers in the Eastern Conference final; Darryl Strawberry’s jersey retirement ceremony at Citi Field; Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA and women’s sports; and the Super Bowl LVIII preview. The entry also included extensive high school content, with coverage of the county and Long Island championship games.

The digital portfolio entry included an interactive presentation of who and why Newsday’s voters selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame; a narrative approach to the display of our Fall “Salute to the Champs” high school section; a comprehensive look at Guardian Caps in high school football, with a written article supported by video and informational graphics; a video spotlighting the shortage of referees for high school sports; and an investigation into the increasing rates of horse deaths at Belmont Park.

Newsday’s baseball preview section placed in the top 10 for special section. The comprehensive section featured complete coverage of the Mets and Yankees heading into the 2024 season. Highlights included a look at the more than $3 billion paid out in new contracts prior to the season; features on the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and Kodai Senga of the Mets; a graphic presentation highlighting the best pitcher for each major-league team; a feature on the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron’s chase of Babe Ruth’s all-time career home run record; and the annual “Baseball 101” project, with the “101 Places of the Game” as the topic that tracked memorable cities and locations of the game.

“It’s rewarding to once again see Newsday’s talented team of sports journalists — writers, editors, photographers, designers — be recognized nationally by their peers,” section editor Dave Whitehorn said. “The Baseball Preview is a massive project that begins with planning in December and results, annually, in some of our staff’s best work. My congratulations and thanks to all. Be proud.”

Jim Baumbach won in the investigative category for an in-depth report on why horses are dying at Belmont Park in Elmont. Baumbach spent a year investigating the issue, producing a deep-dive account detailing the reasons behind a death rate at Belmont that is greater than the national average.

J. Conrad Williams Jr. won in the action photo category for his stunning visual of a bull knocking a rider off during a professional bull riding event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Williams also won in the feature photo gallery for his photo of Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea reacting after closing out the top of the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series.

Alejandra Villa Loarca also won in the feature photo category. Villa Loarca won for her photo of Mets fans eagerly waiting for autographs during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Florida.