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MIAC to honor Charles Hallman with Mike Augustin Award

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Longtime Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder writer Charles Hallman has been selected as the 2022-23 recipient of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Mike Augustin Award, the conference office announced today. The honor is issued annually by the conference’s sports information directors in recognition of outstanding media contributions to MIAC athletic programs and their student-athletes.

“Charles Hallman has had a stellar career in the Twin Cities media, helping to amplify the voices of people who deserve to be heard,” Augsburg sports information director Don Stoner said. “He is a brilliant writer and observer, working hard to share the stories of athletes at the high school, college, and pro levels that might otherwise go untold.”

Since 1990, Hallman has served as a staff writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the oldest Black newspaper in Minnesota. Hallman has become a regular at MIAC events over the years, helping to highlight the efforts and achievements of small college student-athletes, especially those from underrepresented communities.

“I truly love covering the MIAC and strive to do my best to highlight the accomplishments of its teams, student-athletes, and coaches, and spotlight the diversity accomplished and as well as the challenges,” Hallman said.

The Mike Augustin Award was first presented by the MIAC in 1999. Mike Augustin was a longtime sportswriter at the Pioneer Press and was an articulate friend, follower, and advocate of the MIAC. The Conference established the award in his honor following Augustin’s death from a sudden illness in December of 1997.

“Mike Augustin was among the first mainstream journalists who treated me both respectfully and professionally despite my association with a non-mainstream publication,” Hallman recalled. “To receive an award named in his honor is both extremely humbling and proud.”

Hallman was unanimously selected as this year’s MIAC Mike Augustin Award recipient by the conference’s sports information directors at their annual business meeting in August.

“Not only does the love that Charles has for his profession and subjects shine through in his work, but that work often challenges us as a conference to look further, dig deeper, and work harder in order to provide our student-athletes with the best college athletics experience possible,” MIAC Associate Commissioner BJ Pickard said. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving or representative of an honor such as this.”

Hallman will formally receive the award on October 22 during a ceremony at halftime of the MIAC Skyline Division football game between Augsburg and Hamline. The Auggies and Pipers are set to battle for “The Hammer” rivalry trophy with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in St. Paul.

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