2025 PSWA Scholarship recipients recognized at the 121st PSWA Banquet
By Rock Hoffman, Footballstories.com
The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association is proud to award three deserving, area college students each with $1,000 scholarships as winners of The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Foundation (PSWAF) Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Open to aspiring sports journalists, broadcasters, or other communications professions, the purpose of the award is to recognize undergraduate college students who demonstrate an understanding and commitment to achieving excellence as a future sports journalist. All Philadelphia-region college and university (sophomore and junior) students or Delaware Valley residents attending an accredited college or university outside of the Philadelphia-region who meet PSWAF’s scholarship criteria, were welcomed to apply.
The recipients were acknowledged at the 121st PSWA Banquet on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at the Double Tree by Hilton on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ.
The three outstanding future sports journalists are:
• Sienna Conaghan, a junior at Temple University, who hails from West Yellowstone, MT.
Conaghan is the recipient of the Jack Scheuer Scholarship, the PSWA’s signature scholarship award named in honor of the former Associated Press sports writer and longtime PSWA member and officer. Scheuer was a great mentor to many younger journalists.
Conaghan’s major is Journalism with a sports media certificate. She has already obtained a wide variety of experience including covering the New York Liberty of the WNBA for amNew York Sports and is currently the co-Sports Editor of the Temple News at the Philadelphia-based university.
In her nomination essay she wrote the following:
“Every time I write a story, I fall in love with sports journalism more. Having the ability to share people’s stories, people that are usually only looked at as athletes, is thrilling. It’s exciting when I realize the question I asked during an interview allows them to talk about something they’ve been yearning to talk about, because I then get to share their passion with everyone else.”
• Adam Denn a Newark, DE, native and a junior at Ursinus College.
Denn is a junior majoring in Media and Communications and has been fascinated with the why and how of sports since he was a child and saw DeSean Jackson score one of his electrifying touchdowns. To answer those ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions, and more, he had an internship with Delaware Online and is currently an intern with Swimming World. On top of his studies, Denn has been a member of the Ursinus men’s swim team since enrolling at the Collegeville, PA, school in 2023. On the Ursinus campus, Denn writes for and serves as sports editor for the student newspaper, produces his own podcast, and writes a sports blog.
• Gerasimos Gerovasiliou, from Kennett Square, PA, and a sophomore at Rowan University.
Gerovasiliou is a Sports Communications & Media major with a minor in Journalism. Inspired by former Philadelphia 76ers broadcaster Marc Zumoff, it’s been Gerovasiliou’s dream to broadcast sports. However. by writing for the school newspaper, he’s learned that “versatility is the most important skill to have in the sports industry. I have recognized that sports writing has helped make me a better broadcaster and journalist.” He is also in the midst of an internship in which he calls games for the Delaware Blue Coats basketball team, one of a variety of broadcast roles he’s filled while at the Glassboro, NJ-based university.
The PSWA would like to thank all those who applied this year and encourage those who were not chosen but will still be eligible to apply again next year.
Each of the 2025 scholarships recipients had a seat on the dais and joined the likes of Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (Pro Athlete of the Year), and Phils manager Rob Thomson (PSWA Good Guy), Princeton women’s lacrosse standout McKenzie Blake (Amateur Athlete of the Year), ESPN’s Kevin Neghandi (Bill Campbell Award winner), Flyers great Dave Schultz (Living Legend), Penn men’s basketball star and current coach Fran McCaffery (Native Son) and more.