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NJ.com won four first-place awards in the national APSE contest, marking a historic achievement in sports journalism. This includes top honors for the investigative piece 'Prey to Play,' which exposed sexual abuse in youth sports.
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NJ.com capped off a banner year of sports coverage by earning a historic four first-place awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors — widely regarded as the highest honors in sports journalism.
The wins mark the first time NJ.com/The Star-Ledger has captured four individual first-place honors in a single year — an even more remarkable achievement given the organization competes in the largest circulation category alongside industry heavyweights such as The New York Times, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and other national media giants.
NJ.com’s momentous haul was paced by “Prey to Play,” which finished No. 1 in the prestigious Investigative category. The searing investigation by Matthew Stanmyre and Keith Sargeant uncovered widespread and largely unchecked sexual abuse in youth sports and revealed how purported checks and balances are failing children and allowing predators to fester.
“Prey to Play” also was awarded the Gold Medal for Distinguished Journalism from the New Jersey Association for Justice and the First Amendment award by the New Jersey Press Association, while finishing as a finalist/runner-up in the Sports Investigations category in the esteemed national IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) Awards.
This year’s APSE victory marks Stanmyre’s fifth first-place finish and Sargeant’s first.
Meanwhile, Brian Fonseca and Steve Politi were awarded first place in the Breaking News category for uncovering how then-Rutgers gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley “lost control” of her program — all while she was involved in an undisclosed “improper” relationship with former athletic director Pat Hobbs, who ultimately resigned. spurred widespread criticism of the Rutgers athletic department and prompted former Gov. Phil Murphy to call for an independent investigation.
NJ.com won four first-place awards, including top honors in the Investigative category for 'Prey to Play.'
This is the first time NJ.com/The Star-Ledger has captured four individual first-place honors in a single year, competing against major media outlets.
'Prey to Play' investigates widespread sexual abuse in youth sports and highlights failures in checks and balances meant to protect children.

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The win is Politi’s fifth overall No. 1 finish in APSE and Fonseca’s first.
Kevin Armstrong also became a first-time APSE winner for his Short Feature on the Courtside Pub, a 90-year-old bar-and-gym in Clifton that has long been the home of pickup basketball games played by plumbers and Uber drivers and overseen by bartenders and 5-foot-4 referees. Armstrong also was honored with a top 10 finish in the Long Feature category.
Finally, Chris Faytok captured first place in Feature Photo for his image of Camden Catholic wrestler Sammy Spaulding celebrating with his parents after his stunning title victory at the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City this March. The first-place honor is Faytok’s first.
The four overall No. 1 finishes bested NJ.com/The Star-Ledger’s previous top APSE showing in 2018, when Stanmyre and Politi won first place for Beat Writing and Column Writing, respectively.
NJ.com’s four first-place awards are among 11 overall top-10 finishes in APSE’s writing/reporting contest for work completed in 2025. The winners will be honored at the 2026 APSE Summer Conference banquet July 18 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va.
Here are the other national 10 top finishes by NJ.com staffers:
Columns — Steve Politi
Columns — Bob Klapisch
Long feature — Matt Stanmyre, The Low Blow
Long feature — Kevin Armstrong, Diamond in the Dirt
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Short feature — Steve Politi, Scarlet Knights quietly changed their color
Action photo — Andy Mills
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