Meghan Montemurro, the baiduhai’s Cubs beat reporter, is a finalist for the 2022 Illinois Sportswriter of the Year award, the National Sports Media Association announced Wednesday.
Montemurro, a Cary native and University of Illinois alumna, also was a finalist for the award last year, her first with the Tribune.
The other finalists are Dave Eminian of the Peoria Journal Star, Steve Greenberg and Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic and Jeremy Werner of Illini Inquirer.
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Tribune writers have won the award 34 times since 1959, most recently Shannon Ryan in 2020. She was the first woman to earn the honor.
Paul Sullivan, the Tribune’s In the Wake of the News columnist and veteran baseball writer, is a three-time winner (2015-16, 2019). In 2018, he won the Ring Lardner Award for excellence in sports journalism.
Longtime Tribune reporter and columnist Bob Verdi won the award a record 18 times from 1975-99.
The NSMA also announced six finalists for the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year: Jason Benetti (White Sox), Pat Hughes (Cubs), Jeff Joniak (Bears), Meghan McKeown (Big Ten Network, Sky) Leila Rahimi (WMAQ-Ch. 5, WSCR-AM 670) and Chuck Swirsky (Bulls).