Kansas City Star earns multiple APSE Top 10 honors for coverage of KC sports scene

The Kansas City Star’s digital sports coverage at kansascity.com and via The Star’s mobile app this week garnered national recognition in the annual Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) contest.

Additionally, five KC Star/Wichita Eagle sportswriters — Star columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian and reporters Jesse Newell, Kellis Robinett and Taylor Eldridge — were honored individually by sports editors and writers from across the nation.

Also recognized as among the best in its class was The Star’s special section previewing the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2022 season.

The annual APSE awards are sports journalism’s version of the Emmys.

McDowell spent the majority of last year in the role of sports columnist after having covered the Chiefs beat, Sporting KC and high school sports for The Star. His Top 10-winning four-part Sports Columns entry for 2022 included the following pieces:

• In candid interview, Tyrann Mathieu says he’s ‘heartbroken’ to not be back with Chiefs

• The social media hate for KC Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and his fiancee is the worst of us

• Britt Reid lost three years as a free man. The effects on Ariel Young are forever

• Why it’s time for the Kansas City Royals to trade Whit Merrifield

Gregorian earned two Top 10 honors in the APSE contest — one for Long Feature Writing (over 1,500 words) and one for Short Feature Writing (under 1,500 words). Here are the links to those stories:

• Long Feature: Through 43 years in prison, sports was a guiding light for exonerated Kevin Strickland

• Short Feature: ‘No bad days’: How Chiefs’ Justin Watson was driven and shaped by older brother Tommy

Newell, who just completed his first season on the Chiefs beat after a distinguished run covering the Kansas Jayhawks, garnered a prestigious Top 10 in Explanatory Writing for his piece entitled, ‘Do it, Kels!’: How Patrick Mahomes’ audible forced overtime in Chiefs win over Bills.

He also netted Top 10 honors in Beat Writing, a five-part compilation of the following KU stories:

• KU asks for ‘alternative resolution’ of NCAA basketball case — with Big 12’s support

• Why Kansas Jayhawks’ One Shining Moment vs. North Carolina was 5 months in making

• Kansas Jayhawks basketball’s secret edge? This trainer — and a church gym near KU

• Why Bill Self admires this Kansas Jayhawk: ‘He’s had more hardship than anybody else’

• Why Kansas Jayhawks’ win vs. K-State meant so much to Bill Self after dad’s passing

K-State beat writer Kellis Robinett, who writes for both The Star and Eagle, earned Top 10 in Long Feature for his story entitled, New Kansas State coach Jerome Tang is the ultimate self-made man in college basketball.

And Eldridge who covers Wichita State Shockers athletics, took home two Top 10s: one for Long Feature — ‘Count your blessings’: Former Shocker DJ Bowles grateful for second chance at life — and one for Beat Writing, an entry comprised of five parts:

• Wichita State never publicly announced AD Darron Boatright’s contract extension

• Respect, revenge and a paycheck: How SWAC’s Alcorn State upset Wichita State basketball

• How can Wichita State catch up in college basketball’s unregulated NIL money game?

• ‘Count your blessings’: Former Shocker DJ Bowles grateful for second chance at life

• How Wichita State’s Craig Porter broke the cycle to become a Terre Haute hero

For The Star’s collective Top 10 award in the Digital category, entries were judged, according to the APSE’s published contest guidelines, “on how well your staff uses digital tools, on and off platform, to tell stories and engage readers. What do you do digitally for your readers and what can your staff accomplish at its most creative?”

Seeking to meet and engage readers in an increasing variety of dynamic digital environments, The Star is now into its third calendar year of offering readers a daily Morning Sports Edition alongside its standard desktop site, app and replica edition of the day’s printed newspaper.

The Wichita Eagle also placed Top 10 in the Print Portfolio category for print coverage via its daily and Sunday editions.

All APSE awards for 2022 will be handed out at the organization’s annual summer conference, which this year is scheduled to take place in Indianapolis June 15-18.