ACP names top student newspapers
Pacemaker competition recognizes 34 finalists
Sept. 28, 2022
MINNEAPOLIS — Student newspapers from 34 colleges and universities have been recognized as Pacemaker finalists by Associated College Press.
The winners will be announced at the ACP Pacemaker and Individual Awards Ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at MediaFest22, the Fall National College Media Convention, in Washington, D.C.
“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” executive director Laura Widmer said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best.”
The 34 newspaper finalists represent 18 states. Texas set the pace with five finalists, followed by California.
Three print issues produced during the 2021-22 school year were submitted for consideration. Two teams of three judges studied every entry, analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. At least two of the three judges agreed on whether a newspaper was eliminated or would be named a finalist or winner.
Of the 34 finalists, 19 will earn the Pacemaker award, placing the winning newspapers in approximately the top 22 percent of the entries.
Newspapers from four-year schools competed against schools with similar enrollment. Newspapers from two-year schools, of all enrollments, competed in a separate category.
Six newspapers published by two-year schools are among the 34 finalists. Of those six, four will earn Pacemaker honors.
“This was a very challenging year for collegiate print newspapers,” associate director Gary Lundgren said. “The pandemic impacted advertising sales and the operation of newsrooms, but the overall quality of the newspapers was stronger than ever.”
In all, 88 newspapers entered the Pacemaker competition compared to 114 the previous year.
In addition to demonstrating excellence in key areas including coverage, writing, editing, design and photography, the winning newspapers took risks and served as a strong voice for the student audience.
In this competition, only the print product was judged. Online sites compete in a separate Pacemaker competition.
Finalists are alphabetical by state.
Register for the convention.
Enter the convention’s Best of Show contest.
Individual Award finalists
with press release
Advertisement of the Year
Broadcast Story of the Year
Cartoon of the Year
Design of the Year
Multimedia Story of the Year
Photo of the Year
Reporter of the Year
Story of the Year
Best Use of Social Media
Pacemaker 100
To celebrate our 100th birthday, we’ll honor our top Pacemaker winners and announce the Top 10 at the fall convention.
Two-year college
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College, Chula Vista, California
Editor: Camila Gonzalez
Advisers: Max Branscomb, Kenneth Pagano
el Don
Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, California
Editor: Kate Bustamante
Adviser: Sarah Bennett
The Corsair
Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, California
Editor: Katheryne Menendez
Advisers: Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins, Gerard Burkhart, Sharyn Obsatz
The Reporter
Miami Dade College, Miami, Florida
Editor: Ammy Sanchez
Adviser: Manolo Barco
The Collegian
Tarrant County College, Hurst, Texas
Editor: Jose Romero
Advisers: Stacy Luecker, Chris Whitley
The Et Cetera
Dallas College-Eastfield, Mesquite, Texas
Editor: Harriet Ramos
Adviser: Lori Dann
Four-year college/university
The Poly Post
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Pomona, California
Editors: Nicolas Hernandez, Georgia Valdes
Adviser: Jason Turcotte
The Red & Black
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Editors: Jacqueline GaNun, Spencer Donovan
Adviser: Charlotte Norsworthy
The Columbia Chronicle
Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Editors: Camryn Cutinello, Noah Jennings
Advisers: Curtis Lawrence, Travis Truitt
The DePaulia
DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
Editor: Lawrence Kreymer
Adviser: Marla Krause
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Editors: Colin Kulpa, Izzy Myszak, Luke Norton
Advisers: Malinda Aston, Jim Rodenbush, Ruth Witmer
The Ball State Daily News
Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Editor: Taylor Smith
Adviser: Lisa Renze-Rhodes
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Editor: Caleb McCullough
Adviser: Jason Brummond
The Collegian
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Editor: Jared Shuff
Adviser: Ira David Levy
The Sunflower
Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas
Editor: Lindsay Smith
Adviser: Amy DeVault
College Heights Herald
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Editors: Lily Burris, Michael Collins
Advisers: Chuck Clark, Carrie Pratt
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
Editor: Rayleigh Deaton
Advisers: Ryan Craig, David Stephenson
The Maroon
Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
Editor: Gabriela Carballo
Adviser: Michael Giusti
The Tulane Hullabaloo
Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
Editor: Maiya Tate
Adviser: Chantal Bailliet
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Editors: Raquel Coronell Uribe, Jasper Goodman
The Heights
Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Editor: Megan Kelly
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Editors: Claire Hao, Jasmin Lee
The Clarion
Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Editors: Rachel Blood, Soraya Keiser
Adviser: Scott Winter
The MSU Exponent
Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
Editor: Gabe Barnard
Adviser: Bill Lamberty
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Editor: Emily Steinberger
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Editor: Praveena Somasundaram
Adviser: Courtney Mitchell
The Pendulum
Elon University, Elon, North Carolina
Editor: Nyah Phengsitthy
Adviser: Kelly Furnas
Old Gold & Black
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Editors: Alexandra Karlinchak, Connor McNeely
Adviser: Phoebe Zerwick
The Daily Pennsylvanian
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Editors: Jonah Charlton, Pia Singh
Adviser: Deborah Howlett
The Shorthorn
The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Editor: Angelica Perez
Advisers: Laurie Fox, Will Parchman
The Battalion
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Editors: Myranda Campanella, Shelby McVey
Adviser: Douglas Pils
Rice Thresher
Rice University, Houston, Texas
Editor: Savannah Kuchar
Advisers: Kelley Lash, Katharine Shilcutt
The Breeze
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Editor: Jake Conley
Advisers: Brad Jenkins, Ryan Parkhurst
The Commonwealth Times
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
Editors: Katharine DeRosa, Sarah Elson, Iman Mekonen
Advisers: Jessica Clary, Mark Robinson