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The Carroll News wins Best in Ohio College Newspaper from Press Club of Cleveland

Anna Maxwell and Jacob Meyers

Jun 13, 2026

(from left) Cliff Anthony, Jasen Sokol, Brendan Elbin ’28, Brent Brossmann, Jacob Meyers ’28, Brian Keim ’26 and Anna Maxwell ’27 show off their awards.

For the second consecutive year, The Carroll News earned first place in both the Best College Newspaper and Best College Website categories at the 2026 All-Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards, presented by the Press Club of Cleveland on June 5.

Judges praised The Carroll News for its “nice story selection and placement,” “good sports photos” and “nice blend of news and features.” The Carroll News website also earned recognition for its “strong student website with a good mix of news and features,” “intuitive design” and “good visual variety.”

Community Editor Brendan Elbin ’28 received Best in Ohio: College Reporter (Audio) for his work with audio reporting for The Carroll News. Not only that, but Elbin took home first and third place for Audio – General News for “Heights Now: Local communities and leaders alarmed by antisemetic displays” and “Heights Now: Cleveland Heights Mayor denounces recall effort in exclusive interview,” respectively. Tate Farinacci ’25 was awarded second place in the same category for “Heights Now: New Owners for Jack’s Deli.”

For individual awards in the category of feature writing, Anna Maxwell ’27 earned second place in the College Student Media Feature Writing category for “Loneliness on JCU’s campus,” while Amelia Marlow earned third place for “A 50-year evolution of tuition costs at John Carroll University.”

Jacob Meyers ’28 earned runner-up honors for Best in Ohio: College Reporter (Print/Online), one of the state’s top individual recognitions for student journalists.

Cliff Anthony, faculty adviser of The Carroll News, won two Press Club awards as well, one being second place in Column or Blog: General News for “An open letter to Rupert Murdoch urging action to protect our free press” in The Poynter and the other being second place in the Humor category for “Our newest family member” in Cleveland.com.

The back-to-back titles of Best College Newspaper and Best College Website, along with individual accomplishments, capped another strong year for John Carroll University student media, with students earning statewide recognition across print, digital and broadcast journalism.

About the Contributors

Anna Maxwell, Managing Editor

Anna Maxwell is the managing editor for The Carroll News from Ashtabula, Ohio. She is a Junior at John Carroll University who is an Accounting major. Anna has been writing for The Carroll News since the fall of 2023! In addition to writing for The Carroll News, she is also an Honors student here at John Carroll, works at the Writing Center and is a member of the Accounting Association. She is excited to continue writing in the years to come! When not writing, Anna can be found reading a new book, or binge-watching her favorite Netflix shows! She can also be found spending time with her friends and participating in events around campus! In the future, Anna aspires to become a Certified Public Accountant, and an author of fiction novels! To contact Anna, email her at [email protected].

Jacob Meyers, Campus Editor

Jacob Meyers is the Campus Editor for The Carroll News, originally from Parma, Ohio. He is a sophomore at John Carroll University, majoring in communication with a concentration in digital media and minoring in political science and leadership development. Outside the newsroom, Jacob volunteers on Heights Now at WJCU 88.7, contributes to JCU Studios and works as the Arts Assistant for the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. In his free time, he enjoys theater, supporting Cleveland sports teams and exploring local dining. He can be reached at [email protected].

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