The National Sports Media Association named me the Montana Sportswriter of the Year for 2022. I’m not the first writer to say this: honors like this are hardly my objective. But I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t gratifying. Thanks to my peers who voted for me and to all the other people in my life who have helped me do the job I love.

This is maybe my favorite interview I’ve ever done. The conversation I had with Montana State head football coach Brent Vigen about Damar Hamlin’s near-death experience during a football game and the violence of football certainly wasn’t light-hearted, but it was fascinating, illuminating and nuanced.

Q&A: Montana State coach Brent Vigen on witnessing Damar Hamlin’s injury, football’s ‘inherent risk’

ESPN’s “College GameDay” came to Bozeman in November for Montana State’s football game against rival Montana. I wrote about why the show visited Montana for the first time, interviewed the famous golfer who served as GameDay’s guest picker and explored GameDay’s economic impact on Bozeman.

Coldest ‘GameDay’ ever: ESPN producers explain why show came to Montana for first time

Q&A: Nick Faldo on ‘College GameDay’ in Bozeman, Bobcat fandom, retiring to Montana

Bozeman got boost from ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’, but full impact is hard to quantify

Stories like this are always hard to write, but this one was easier than most because Ravi Alston was incredibly open and gracious during our interview.

Finding his ‘why’: Montana State’s Ravi Alston Jr. driven by memory of late father

I really enjoyed working on this story, and not just because I got to talk to former Oregon coach Joe Moorhead.

After uneven debut, Montana State OC Taylor Housewright is equipped for strong season