VYPE's Mike Beas to be honored with IHSAA Media Service Award

VYPE High School Sports Magazine feature writer Mike Beas, who began writing about high school sports nearly 25 years ago, has been selected as this year's recipient of the IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award in District II. Beas will be honored Saturday evening prior to the boys basketball regional championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress will be on hand to make the presentation to Beas along with Sports Information Director Jason Wille and Communications Director Chris Kaufman. Beas began as a sports writer for the Indianapolis Star in 1985. During his 15 years at the state's largest newspaper, he covered state championship events in nearly every sport. Beas moved on to serve as Sports Editor of the Anderson Herald-Bulletin from 2000-08 and was honored as CNHI's National Sportswriter of the Year in 2004 and 2005. Today, Beas' work is featured in numerous publications throughout Central Indiana including VYPE High School Sports Magazine for which he's written numerous cover stories. Next month, he will be receiving the Corky Lamm Award as Indiana's Sportswriter of the Year for 2009. In all, Beas estimates he's been to more than 200 Indiana high schools during his career to cover a live event or profile a deserving coach or student-athlete. Foremost in his memory was the 1990 boys basketball state finals when a national record crowd of more than 41,000 people packed the RCA Dome; the Martinsville girls golf team which won eight of 10 state titles during the 1990s and; the Ben Davis football teams which won five state championships. Other prep events he considers among his favorites include the 1995 Ben Davis-Indianapolis Washington boys basketball regional showdown, Kokomo's girls basketball team capturing back-to-back crowns in 1992 and 1993 and walking into historic gymnasiums such as Anderson's Wigwam, Washington's Hatchet House, the Muncie Fieldhouse and Loogootee's gymnasium. Beas is a 1980 graduate of Northwestern High School in Kokomo and a 1984 graduate of Ball State University. This is the 25th year the IHSAA has recognized outstanding members of the Indiana news media from each of the three IHSAA legislative districts for excellence in the coverage of high school sports. District II covers 28 counties across central Indiana.