Thursday, October 22, 2009

Justin Zackal, Westminster College sports information director (SID), took top honors in the 2009 College Sports Information Directors of America's (CoSIDA) Fred Stabley Sr. writing contest.

Zackal's "Through the Looking Glass," a profile of Westminster basketball player and 2009 graduate Bobby Glass, earned CoSIDA's national "Story of the Year" award. The contest drew 316 entries from all NCAA divisions.

One national judge said, "Justin Zackal's detailed account of Bobby Glass' frightening diagnosis, [open heart] surgery, and eventual return to basketball is an outstanding job of storytelling."

"Excellent use of narrative to move a compelling story along," said another judge. "A fine human interest story of an athlete who truly overcame adversity."

"Justin Zackal is an exceptional writer and one of the best sports information directors in the country," according to Mark Meighen, Westminster College senior director of marketing and communication services. "Justin does a great job of showcasing Westminster student-athletes on a daily basis and has won a number of national awards this year. It's great to see Justin's stellar work being recognized nationally."

"That was one of those stories that just wrote itself," Zackal said. "I actually learned a lot from Bobby by writing the story. It was very rewarding for me to be able to share his story because I wanted other people to benefit from his new-found life perspective."

Visit http://www.westminster.edu/news/pdf/magazine/magazine_28_3.pdf#page=15 to read "Through the Looking Glass." For more information about CoSIDA's awards visit http://cosida.com/documents/2009/10/20/CoSIDA%20Digest%20Oct%2009.pdf.

Zackal, who has been with Westminster since 2006, earned an undergraduate degree from Waynesburg College and master's from West Virginia University.

Contact Zackal at (724) 946-6357 or e-mail zackaljw@westminster.edu for additional information.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.