The Pine Belt News earned six top 10 honors for work published in 2024 by the Associated Press Sports Editors nationwide sports journalism contest.
Sports editors and journalists throughout the country voted on the top-10 placements in various writing, website, print newspaper and photography categories. The categories were split into four divisions based on newspaper circulation or digital readership size. The Pine Belt News competes in the D Division for newsrooms with circulation numbers below 10,000.
Sports Editor Andrew Abadie was recognized in four different categories, including beat writing, short feature, projects and breaking news, while photographer Jacob Brumfield placed for best action photo.
The Pine Belt Sports 2024 Baseball Preview magazine was rated among the top 10 special sections, while the sports section received honorable mention. Abadie's overall coverage of Southern Miss athletics was recognized for beat writing. His summer workout series showcasing how college athletes train also received recognition for projects in a combined division that features news organizations in divisions from both C and D. Abadie's short feature was written just before the Lumberton's girls' basketball team met a member of the 1956 state championship team.
The combined work of Abadie and Haskel Burns' coverage of the tragic murder of Southern Miss football player MJ Daniels was also recognized for breaking news.
Brumfield's photo captured Noxubee County quarterback KaMario Taylor leaping over Choctaw County's defensive line to score a touchdown in the Class 3A state championship that was hosted at Southern Miss.
A panel of national judges ranks the writing and photography categories from 1 to 10, and the individual winners are announced in late March and early April.
