Hazelwood claims three more AP awards

Norwalk Reflector sports editor Mark Hazelwood recently received three writing awards in the 2024 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors contest. Award winners were announced on Aug. 3 in Columbus. The annual contest recognizes excellence in Ohio journalism. Entries considered for this year's contest were written in the 2024 calendar year. The field of competitors was consolidated from five divisions down to three. The contest's three divisions group newspapers together based on circulation size, with Division III being the largest. The Reflector was a part of Div. I. Hazelwood earned second place in Best Feature Writing/Columnist and Best Sports Enterprise Reporting. He placed third in Best Sports Columnist. For feature writing, Hazelwood's nominations included the relationship between Norwalk volleyball assistant coach Rachel Schlotterer and her daughter, Lucy; St. Paul's Evan Wangler's two season-saving buzzer-beaters; and the impactful four-year career of Monroeville football standout Evan Benfer. The judge comments left on the award said, "Whether capturing the grit and grace of Evan Wangler's season-saving hustle or chronicling Evan Benfer's four-year rise from winless sophomore to record-setting senior, Hazelwood's writing honors high school sports for what they are at their best: the heart of a community." For Enterprise, Hazelwood did a two-part story on the decline of participation in area high school girls basketball. Judging comments for Sports Enterprise said, "Hazelwood's writing and reporting on the participation decline in girls basketball was solid and thorough. Well done." In column writing, the nominations included a look back at the football coaching career of St. Paul's John Livengood; Norwalk senior volleyball libero Mac Wineman's leadership; how the grieving Norwalk community saw a double rainbow at a football game days after NHS student Logan Lewis died in a car crash' and on the instant classic football game between rivals St. Paul and Monroeville in the final game of the regular season. Judging comments for Sports Columnist said, "Hazelwood's detail-rich tribute to a hometown high school football coaching legend elevated this entry." In his nearly 20-year writing career — including the past seven-plus years at the Reflector — Hazelwood has earned 99 writing awards from the Associated Press, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists and the OPSMA.