Lindsay Schnell, Sandy High School (SHS) Class of 2005, typically doesn’t answer her phone when she doesn’t recognize the incoming number. But in the middle of covering the College World Series this year for The Athletic, a call with an unknown number came in and she picked it up anyway.

It turned out to be worth answering - Schnell learned that she had become just the second winner of the Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage by the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and the APSE Foundation.

“I was just floored,” Schnell said, adding that she instantly started crying and found it appropriate that at that moment she was covering women’s sports. But duty came calling shortly thereafter, as an assistant coach in the game Schnell was covering was tossed out and she had to get back to work.

The Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage was created in February 2024 to highlight and elevate journalism created around women’s athletics, professionally, collegiately and at the local level. Schnell submitted a portfolio of four stories, but noted that since there was not a strict level of guidance on what those stories should cover, she chose ones about “big issues” that resonate beyond women’s sports.

All four were written at her previous job at USA Today, where she was an enterprise reporter with a focus on women’s sports. Her new job, at The Athletic, will shift that to men’s college basketball.

“I hope that I can continue to write stories that push people outside of their comfort zone, consider other people’s perspectives and shine a light,” Schnell said, adding that it was hard to shift gears from her efforts to elevate women’s sports coverage for her entire career.

Schnell credits SHS Journalism teacher JD McIntire, or “Mac” as Schnell calls him, for providing the building blocks to be successful in the field. Schnell’s first steps after graduation lead to her studying at Oregon State University (OSU).

“I am constantly amazed,” Schnell said about the skills and knowledge she brought into the classroom on day one at OSU. “I knew all those things because I learned them my freshman year in Mac’s class. What he teaches is so good. He gives you a foundation and lets you go where you want.”

Despite her early drive and passion for journalism, Schnell’s journey has been atypical. Originally enamored with attending the University of Missouri, a top journalism school, she ended up at OSU, in part due to the desire to avoid a lot of debt. Her freshman year coincided with the school winning the first of two baseball championships, which she was able to cover.

But Schnell felt a little unchallenged at the time and considered transferring to the University of Missouri, going so far as to visit the campus. When she returned, she talked to her academic advisor, whose advice was that, “You can create world class education wherever you are.”

“That line changed my life, completely shifted my perspective,” Schnell reflected.

From there, Schnell created independent study courses, went out of her way to make connections in every press box she entered and set out to outwork everyone else.

“Don’t see limits, don’t put a limit on yourself,” Schnell said. “When they say no, ask again, maybe in a different way.”

Schnell shared how she is proud of her time at OSU, where she earned a General Studies degree, and now does her best to share what she learned with her students as a teacher at Linfield University.

Schnell, who also taught previously at Clackamas Community College, goes out of her way to read a lot of student newspapers. That includes SHS’s Pioneer Press, which Schnell sees as one of the best available.

She added that she continues to stay in close contact with McIntire.

“I still feel really connected to that program in a lot of ways, and that matters,” Schnell said, adding that she also takes pride in coming from Sandy.

Schnell was the first of four (and counting) students to win the Oregon State High School Journalist of the Year under McIntire, the latest being Charlie Bloomer just this past spring. And even before her latest achievement, word of Schnell’s successes has been a staple at SHS.

“My current students joke about how much I talk about her professional experiences in class,” McIntire said. “She is a master of the long form feature and respected by her peers at the highest level of the industry. I'm extremely proud to count her as a former student but even happier that we've been friends for the past 20 years. I think she has taught me more in that time than I ever taught her in the four years she was my student.”

Schnell will be presented with the award on Saturday, June 28 during the APSE summer conference in Minneapolis.

For more information on the Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage, and to read Schnell’s articles, visit the ASPE website.

And read more stories by Schnell at The Athletic.