Marion Star's Rob McCurdy wins OPSWA Writer of the Year award
COLUMBUS — For the ninth time of his career and fifth time since rejoining the Marion Star, Rob McCurdy was named Sportswriter of the Year by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association on Thursday.
He earned the honor in Division 2 for daily newspapers with circulations of 10,000 or less. Former colleague Curt Conrad of the Richland Source won the honor in Division I for larger newspapers and websites.
Instead of individual stories being judged, this year entries were grouped into three stories per classification: game stories, features, columns, news stories and enterprise/investigation pieces. This was a peer-judged contest.
McCurdy won first place for a collection of game stories, first place for a group of columns and first place in the enterprise/investigative category for a series of stores looking back at the impact COVID-19 had on high school sports. Mark Hazelwood of the Norwalk Reflector was runner-up to McCurdy for writer of the year.
Earlier this year, McCurdy was named Division I Sports Columnist of the Year by Ohio APME and finished third in the enterprise category.
In a career that started in 1990, McCurdy has earned nearly 150 writing awards from state and regional entities, plus 11 national honors.
He is a 1988 graduate of River Valley and an 1992 graduate of Bowling Green State University where he majored in journalism and minored in sports management. He started working at the Marion Star while in college and after graduation and returned in February of 2016.
The OPSWA membership roster now stands at 204 writers and photographers around the state, which marks the most in its 49-year history.
Founded in 1972, the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association works to support and enhance the coverage of high school sports in Ohio and to recognize superior writing among sports journalists.
In 2010, the OPSWA partnered with the Ohio High School Athletic Association to create a website, establish electronic communications and increase its membership and recognition.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Star's Rob McCurdy wins OPSWA Writer of the Year award
