Samantha Hauff ’25
First Place
Sports Story, Small College Division
S.C. Press Association Collegiate Awards

Two talented members of The Bluestocking staff brought home awards from last spring’s gathering of the S.C. Press Association’s collegiate division.

Samantha Hauff, a rising senior from Bethlehem, Ga., won first place in the small college division for her sports article, “Trails Ablaze, Glass Ceilings Shatter: PC Takes Down the First NCAA DI Women’s Wrestling Quad Dual,” on the Blue Hose’ trip to the first annual Trailblazer Dual at the University of Iowa.

Judges remarked, “Good coverage of the event that noted the uniqueness and concentrated on the sport.”

Simmie Chhatwal, a spring graduate from Simpsonville, earned second place for sports photo in the small college division for her on-field picture from the Blue Hose Homecoming game last fall.

Though Chhatwal majored in biology and is seeking a career in ecology research, she also found a niche on campus as a Bluestocking photographer. Last year, she won first place for a photo essay she produced from the Thornwell Charter School Carnival.

“I truly love sports photography, as it’s a challenge to get the perfect shot,” Chhatwal said. “It’s also very raw and portrays the true actions of athletes. I am very grateful to be recognized for the work that I do, especially at a small school. I always felt rewarded, regardless, as photography is something I love to do; so, I am very thankful to receive awards on top of that.”

Hauff produced her piece while also serving as a Russell Program intern in the Office of Marketing and Communications at PC. The English communications studies major is also a member of the same Blue Hose women’s wrestling team that she chronicled at the dual meet last year. Seeing those two experiences merge into an award-winning story was particularly gratifying, she said.

“It was a great feeling,” Hauff said. “This was my first year really diving into journalism here at PC, and with this Russell Program internship, I’ve gotten a lot of great clips and great feedback. I also took a writing for mass media class with Dr. Kendra Hamilton, so this has been a year where I’ve really been able to hone my craft as a journalistic writer.”

In addition to receiving the award, Hauff said she also enjoyed meeting other student journalists from across the state, as well as professional editors and reporters working in South Carolina.

“It was really interesting to talk about the stories they’re working on and compare and contrast that with where we are at a small college with a smaller staff,” she said. “It was a chance to see some of the work that others are producing and see how it might translate into what we’re able to do at PC.”

At a sports writing roundtable discussion, Hauff said she discovered at least one advantage the Bluestocking has over its larger rivals.

“We were talking about how a lot of the football players or basketball players at USC or Clemson are basically celebrities,” she said. “You can’t just get face time with them and talk to them. At PC, sports news is so accessible to us as writers because we have those relationships very directly and closely with athletes and with coaches. Coaches at the bigger schools get questions all day long. Here at PC, our coaches are eager for you to ask questions, and they really want to help you with your stories.”

Hauff said the collegiate press association meeting inspired her to continue writing and reporting.

“It just gave me this fire,” she said. “I walked out of the meeting, and I was like, man, I really want to write something right now. I would say that the Press Association in South Carolina does a good job of fueling that fire and that passion for writing. It makes me excited to explore my future career path.”

Simmie Chhatwal’s photo from last fall’s Homecoming game earned her a second place sports photo award in the small college division of the S.C. Press Association Collegiate awards.