The Gatepost ranked third best New England college newspaper by NENPA

By Bella Grimaldi News Editor The New England News & Press Association (NENPA) awarded The Gatepost six awards, including third place in the “Newspaper of the Year” category, at the 2025 New England Better Newspaper Competition on March 14. NENPA is “the professional trade organization for newspapers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island,” according to the association’s website. The organization seeks to “help newspaper professionals successfully fulfill their mission to engage and inform the public while navigating and ultimately thriving in today’s evolving media landscape.” The Gatepost placed third in the New England College Newspaper of the Year category, with Middlebury College taking first and Suffolk University taking second. The judges comments on The Gatepost stated, “The writing stands out as consistently stronger than other papers - print presentation is solid, but the website needs work on its look and ease of navigation.” Both current and past Gatepost members were recognized for their work, including Maddison Behringer, Class of ’25, Alain Puma, Class of ’25, Sophia Oppedisano, Class of ’26, Izabela Gage, Class of ’27, and Taylor Kimmel, Class of ’28. Behringer was recognized in two categories. She placed first in College Feature Photo for “Magic at Mile 6,” and second place for “Boston Marathon” in the College Photo Series distinction. The judges comments said her work displayed “nice expression at the marathon” and a “nice variety of images.” Behringer said, “I remember struggling a lot with the creation of that spread initially. I had a ton of amazing photos from all the photographers who had gone to the marathon. Yet I was just experiencing a lack of inspiration when it came to creating an actual design for the spread. “But, it was Thursday night, and a spread had to be made, so I pushed through my inspiration block,” she added. “I chose photos I believed encapsulated the energy that the community of Framingham brings as they cheer on the athletes who are running through the city on their way to Boston.” Including these awards, Behringer has been recognized five times by NENPA since her freshman year on The Gatepost. She said, “Honestly, it feels really unexpected! I’m super proud of all the work I have done for The Gatepost over the years.” Oppedisano and Kimmel were awarded first place for their co-write of “Men’s basketball wins first playoff game in 15 years in spectacular fashion” in the College Sports Game Story category. The judges said Kimmel and Oppedisano “were able to project the importance of this huge game. Not only were the game details incredibly concise, but they were also successful in capturing the electricity in the gym.” Kimmel said, “The article was a collaborative effort, so there were different working parts we focused on. She added, “I think for this article in particular, we also put a heavy emphasis on our interviews to cover as many bases as possible. We talked to coaching staff, younger players, and older players so we could try to involve as many players as possible. ” Oppedisano said, “This article was really exciting because of the gravity of the game. I had worked closely with Coach Donald Morris Jr. in the past and knew how important that game was to the team. “It was very special to be able to tell the story and watch our home team win. The emotion of being a home fan for such a big game is definitely a huge part of what makes the article great. And, to do it with Taylor makes this even sweeter,” she said. Puma won second place in College Feature Story for “Making Framingham home: Brazilian community key to downtown's economic revival.” NENPA judges said Puma’s article was “A lovely story to read, regardless of whether you're in the college community or not. An excellent example of good observation, listening, and storytelling that brings to life the critical place of downtown Brazilian businesses in local life.” Gage received an honorable mention for her College Sports Story, “A night in the rain shows women's soccer's resilience.” Judges commented the article featured “Excellent description and vivid detail, bringing the reader onto the soccer field on a dreary, early spring day in New England.” They added, “Gage does an excellent job capturing what it's like to be a collegiate athlete at a small school with no indoor training facility to fend inclement weather: It's all about heart, passion and love for the sport.” Gage said, “I created the idea because one of my best friends is on the women’s soccer team and I thought as the sports editor, it would be funny to be on the sideline for once.” “I contemplated not going because of the weather, but I thought it would be an interesting perspective to take because not every practice or game for an athlete is picture perfect,” she added. She said, “I am so proud to earn an honorable mention for such a highly-contested and prestigious award.” The Gatepost Advisor, Desmond McCarthy said, “It's gratifying that professionals in the field recognize the quality of the work editors, reporters, photographers, and designers at our independent student newspaper produce week after week.” Oppedisano, who is now the editor-in-chief of The Gatepost, said, “I am so immensely proud of the work of every single award winner and our entire staff for the finalist award for Best All-Around Newspaper. It's a privilege to lead this team.” [ Editor’s Note: Sophia Oppedisano is the Editor-in-Chief for The Gatepost, Taylor Kimmel is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Gatepost, Izabela Gage is the Sports Editor for The Gatepost. ]