The Santa Cruz Sentinel produced two winning submissions, one for writing and one for photography, at the Associated Press Sports Editors’ annual national contest.

Sentinel Sports Editor Jim Seimas was honored in the long feature category for his narrative on Aptos’ Judi Oyama, a 65-year-old mother of two who continues to shine as Hall of Fame slalom skateboarder.

Photographer Raul Ebio was honored in the action photo category for artistically capturing Aptos High swimmer Alexia Fajardo competing in the 100-yard backstroke at the Central Coast Section Championships in San Jose on May 4.

“I’m super stoked for Raul, myself, and the Sentinel to receive this level of recognition,” Seimas said. “There’s so much amazing content being produced that it’s super hard to stand out. But our photo staff, all our freelancers, and myself continue striving to deliver our subscribers top-notch sports coverage.”

Remote judging took place the past two weeks to evaluate the best in sports coverage nationwide, both online and in print, from 2024. In-person judging took place at the APSE 2025 Winter Conference, held at Doubletree Suites in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sunday through Thursday

The APSE announced top-10 winners throughout its winter conference.

In the coming weeks, the APSE will reveal its final rankings, from first to 10th place, in each category. The winners will be honored at the conclusion of the APSE Summer Convention, which runs June 26-28 at Courtyard Minneapolis Downtown in Minnesota.

It’s Seimas’ fifth APSE win in feature writing, which gives him 28 wins in the national contest since joining the Sentinel in October of 1998. Ebio, a freelancer who has shot for the Sentinel since 2021, has two APSE wins over the past two years.