Loyola students and Greyhound editors Andrew Zaleski and Rich Conforti received a Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) during the Region 2 Spring Conference in Norfolk, Va., on April 9, 2011.
Zaleski and Conforti won first place in the ‘Feature Writing’ category for their profile on Loyola student-athlete Jamal Barney, titled “Who is Jamal Barney? From the Blacktops of Baltimore to the Hardwood of Reitz Arena, Jamal Barney is on His Game.” Zaleski also took home a second place award in the ‘Non-Fiction Magazine Article’ category for a College magazine profile of a New York University student and model.
Zaleski served as The Greyhound’s editor-in-chief and Conforti was sports editor during the 2010-11 academic year. They are seniors graduating May 21.
Each year, SPJ presents the Mark of Excellence Awards to honor the best in student journalism across the country. Dozens of awards were given out for print, radio, television, and online reporting in Region 2, which includes Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina. This year, SPJ received almost 4,000 entries from its 12 regions.
“Who is Jamal Barney?” now advances to the national round of judging along with other first place winners from all SPJ 12 regions. Zaleski and Conforti will find out in early May if they’ve won a national award.
For more information or questions regarding this story, contact Media Relations Manager Nick Alexopulos at nalexopulos@loyola.edu or 410-617-5025.