Georgia Gwinnett College's athletic communications staff recorded 11 top-10 finishes, including three top writing category placements, in the NAIA-Sports Information Director of America's 2023-24 Publications & Media Contest. The awards were announced Friday, June 21 by the national office.
Director of Sports Information
Dale Long received the organization's Gary Spitler Excellence in Publications Award after collecting three first-place finishes, two runner-up honors and several other placements in contest categories. This marks the second straight year that he has earned the Gary Spitler honor.
Judges gave Long the top three awards in the Dr. Jack Bell Writing Contest. These first-place honors were for a feature story on Annalise Jarvis' personal journey as the 2023 NAIA Softball Pitcher of the Year, a story recapping the 2023 softball team's extra-inning victory in the NAIA Opening Round, and a 2023 season preview on the women's soccer team's forward unit.
Long took the top three awards in the feature story category, while he had the top two entries in the game recap category.
GGC's website,
www.ggcathletics.com, tied for fourth place nationally. Meanwhile, a baseball game program placed eighth and a softball's game program placed 10th to round out Long's 10 top-10 contest awards.
Here is a breakdown of GGC's awards in the NAIA-SIDA 2023-24 Publications & Media Contest:
Gary Spitler Excellence in Publications Award
Dale Long – Overall Excellence Across All Categories
Dr. Jack Bell Writing Contest - Feature Stories
Dale Long –
Rising to the Occasion (Anneliese Jarvis Story), First
Dale Long –
Deep Pennsylvania Roots Made Sczepkowski Ready for Any Athletic Season, Second
Dale Long –
Perfect Pitch (Doug Court Story), Third
Dr. Jack Bell Writing Contest – Game Recap Stories
Dale Long –
Extra-Inning Effort Punches Softball's World Series Ticket, First
Dale Long –
Gutsy Pitching, Hitting Propels Baseball to World Series, Second
Dale Long –
Women's Tennis Digs Down Deep to Win NAIA Title, Ninth
Dr. Jack Bell Writing Contest – Season Preview/Review Stories
Dale Long –
Women's Soccer Forwards, First
Dale Long –
Men's Soccer Defenders, Fifth
Best Athletics Website
Georgia Gwinnett, Fourth
Game Day Programs
Dale Long – Baseball, Eighth
Dale Long – Softball, 10th
