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The Daily Trojan reporter Sean McCormick, The Daily Collegian reporter Joe McIntyre and The Ball State Daily News reporter Andrew Mishler were selected as the Off the Block Men’s Volleyball Conference Reporters of the Year.
The Off the Block Men’s Volleyball Conference Reporters of the Year recognizes the best college newspaper reporters in the EIVA, MIVA and MPSF.
Winners were determined primarily on their reporting and writing skills and their ability to produce articles that went beyond the box score and game notes. Also factored into the award was the reporter’s use of non-traditional media such as online video, blogs and social media.
Throughout the season Off the Block conducted an analysis of men’s volleyball coverage in college and professional newspapers from around the nation
Off the Block launched in January and is a website focusing on men’s volleyball news and analysis.
EIVA Reporter of the Year: Joe McIntyre
Joe McIntyre, a junior, is the Off the Block EIVA Reporter of the Year. The junior was one of the three Collegian reporters covering the Penn State men’s volleyball team and wrote more than 60 articles this season. Primarily focusing on personality profiles and news-feature stories, McIntyre’s articles gave readers insight to the team beyond the court. One example of this was his article on the challenges libero Dennis Del Valle experienced in his career learning the English language so he could be a more vocal leader. McIntyre also helped run the newspaper’s volleyball blog, Above the Net, and its men’s volleyball Twitter account, which were both updated daily.
MIVA Reporter of the Year: Andrew Mishler
Andrew Mishler, a sophomore, is the Off the Block MIVA Reporter of the Year after covering the Ball State men’s volleyball team for the Daily News. In his first year with the beat, Mishler wrote more than 80 articles this season, including game stories that went beyond the box score giving readers a greater understanding about the match and news-feature stories about players on the team. One such article examined how Anders Nelson and J.D. Gasparovic became the best middle attacker combinations in program history. Mishler also provided live in-match Tweets during every home match and was an on-air analyst for online video pregame shows for select Ball State matches.
MPSF Reporter of the Year: Sean McCormick
Sean McCormick is the Off the Block MPSF Reporter of the Year. As one of the two Daily Trojan men’s volleyball reporters, McCormick emerged midway through the season to lead the newspaper in its coverage of top-ranked Trojans. McCormick wrote game stories that went above just rehashing the box score and gave in-depth information and analysis on the key aspect of a match. He also wrote preview stories that provided readers with the key match-ups and information they needed to know before the start of the match. One of McCormick’s best articles this season was his in-depth look at how No. 1 USC was preparing for its two-match weekend series against No. 2 BYU.
Off the Block Men’s Volleyball Conference Reporters of the Year
EIVA Reporter of the Year: Joe McIntyre — The Daily Collegian, Penn State University
MIVA Reporter of the Year: Andrew Mishler — The Ball State Daily News, Ball State University
MPSF Reporter of the Year: Sean McCormick — The Daily Trojan, USC
Men’s Volleyball Conference Reporters of the Year honorable mentions
Kristian Ekenes — The Daily Universe, BYU
Duke Ho — The Daily Trojan, USC
Benjamin Kelly — The Daily Bruin, UCLA
Bill Landis — The Daily Collegian, Penn State University
Steven Petrella — The Daily Collegian, Penn State University