Tuesday, May 19, 2020

NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene director of athletics communications Craig Craker is being honored as one of seven national award winners in the College Sports Information Directors of America’s (CoSIDA) 2020 Fred Stabley, Sr., Writing Contest.

The winners of the national contest were announced by CoSIDA on May 19. National winners were chosen in seven different writing categories out of 337 total entries. Writing was judged without regard to national level or affiliation.

Craker won the Coach/Administrator Profile for “Faith & Love: Rushes Ready To Celebrate First Christmas As A Family.” The story profiles NNU head men’s basketball coach Paul Rush and the test of faith that he and his wife, Kylie, faced in trying to start a family and the quest to adopt.

In April, Craker won the contest’s regional competition for his feature as well as the regional contest for Blog/Interview for his Behind The Scenes blog on the Nighthawk’s trip to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.

This marks the third time that a GNAC sports information director has won a national award in the Fred Stabley, Sr., Writing Contest. Former Seattle Pacific sports information director Frank MacDonald won the Event Coverage category in 2005 for his recap, “Cold Snap Ends Too Late As Falcons Fall In NCAA Title Game.” MacDonald was a national runner-up in the 2003 contest for his feature, “Alone At The Top? Far From It.”

Blake Timm, the assistant commissioner for communications for the GNAC, was also a district winner this year and has previously won four national writing contest awards for his work at Pacific University (Ore.).

Submissions for the Fred Stabley, Sr., Writing Contest are judged at the district level and are evaluated at the national level by a five-person committee. Entries are judged on flow and organization, grammar and punctuation, interesting and original content and focus and clarity of subject.