Little Rock Athletic Communications Recognized by CoSIDA in Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest

NEW YORK – Little Rock's Athletic Communications department was recognized Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as the office was recognized with a winning story in the annual CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest.
 
The magazine-style article, "Basketball Saved My Life – How Angelique Francis' new sport became her savior" – written by Little Rock Associate Director of Communications Patrick Walsh and published on LRTrojans.com in March 2021 – was named the District 6 winner, edging out a feature article on Texas Tech's Bryson Williams for the top submission in the district. District 6 consists of all Division I institutions in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
 
Over 400 stories were submitted nationally with the top story in each category at the district level being forwarded to a national panel of judges. Of that, there were 77 athlete profiles and 79 general features submitted. Judging criteria was based on writing style/creativity, flow/organization, opening/closing and grammar/punctuation. This is believed to be Little Rock's first award won in the Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest, an annual contest that first began in 2003.
 
The story of the now rising senior on Little Rock's Women's Basketball team details Francis childhood as she was a victim of physical and emotional abuse, surviving eight suicide attempts in her formative years. She has now transformed that experience into starting a non-profit created to help individuals of all ages prevent suicide, depression, homelessness and to make a positive impact on the community.
 
Francis returns to Little Rock for her senior season this upcoming year as she will lead the Trojans into their first season as members of the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Athletics, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the Trojans on social media at @LRTrojans on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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