Zachary Allen is a sports reporter and editor with five years of experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, college football, college basketball, college wrestling and professional soccer. He has worked for major publications and news agencies, such as the Associated Press, Daytona Beach News-Journal, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Philadelphia Inquirer and more. He is a graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Digital and Print Journalism and a certificate in sports writing.
Currently, Zach works as a sports reporter for the Daytona Beach News-Journal. He provides coverage of any NASCAR races that take place at Daytona International Speedway, most notably the Daytona 500, and sports for three Division I universities (UCF, Bethune-Cookman and Stetson), 19 local high schools and the Daytona Beach metropolitan area. Writing samples are down below.
Journalism Experience
Daytona Beach News-Journal (August 2025- present)
Sports reporter
- Covered NASCAR (Daytona 500, Coke Zero Sugar 400) and sports in the Daytona Beach metropolitan area, which included three Division I universities (UCF, Bethune-Cookman, Stetson), a Division II school (Embry-Riddle), a junior college (Daytona State) and 19 local high schools, through game stories, in-depth features, updates, social media posts and podcasts
- Content has garnered 415,000 page views for the Daytona Beach News-Journal thanks to the implementation of current search engine optimization practices
- Fostered personal relationships with college and high school coaches, athletes, SIDs and athletic directors of several sports to stay up to date with sports news from Daytona Beach and its surrounding communities
- Uploaded and edited videos and photographs that were embedded in articles or posted on the Daytona Beach News-Journal‘s social media networks
Associated Press (July 2023, April 2024, August 2024 and October 2024 – March 2025)
Sports text editor and freelance reporter
- Worked alongside the AP’s team of editors and reporters to swiftly and accurately edit copy and create SEO-friendly headlines for millions of users to read across the globe
- Provided on-site coverage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Washington Commanders training camp and Team USA’s Olympic Wrestling Trials by writing game stories, features and sidebars as a freelancer
The Daily Collegian (February 2021 – May 2024)
Sports editor, college sports reporter and podcast host
- Covered Penn State’s football team and national-champion wrestling team with in-depth feature stories, podcasts and consistent game coverage via written copy and social media posts.
- Led the wrestling beat as its editor by assigning projects, editing copy and publishing articles that received tens of thousands of views on the Daily Collegian‘s website and social media networks
- Co-founded the Mat Return Podcast that covered Penn State wrestling and co-hosted the 1-0 Podcast that covered Penn State football
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (May – August 2023)
Intern
- Responsible for covering the city’s professional sports teams — the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and Riverhounds — as well as Pittsburgh high school football
- Attended pre-game press conferences, training camps, batting practices, prospect development camps and college commitment ceremonies to inform the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s audience
Philadelphia Inquirer (September – December 2023)
Intern
- Covered Penn State football for the Philadelphia Inquirer by attending press conferences and providing written content like game stories and previews
USA Fencing (June – July 2024)
Communications intern
- Served as a secondary contact point during the 2024 Summer Nationals tournament
- Wrote feature stories and daily recap articles, interviewed fencers and collected video content that was posted on USA Fencing’s social media pages
Education
Penn State University
B.A. in Digital and Print Journalism
- Minored in sports studies and earned a sports writing certification from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism
Skills
- AP Style
- Search Engine Optimization
- Social Media
- Feature Writing
- Editing
- Google Trends
- Podcasting
Writing Samples
For the Daytona Beach News-Journal
- Inside Bethune-Cookman Marching Wildcats’ rise from local band to national spotlight
- Daytona Beach man runs 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days
- How 2026 Daytona 500, won by Tyler Reddick, set record for lap leaders
- Bethune-Cookman beats FAMU for 1st Florida Classic win since 2019
- Bethune-Cookman enjoys ESPN ‘First Take’ spotlight to honor HBCUs
- Inside Mimi Munro’s rise to world surfing fame before multi-decade disappearance
- Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo to make rehab start for Daytona Tortugas
- Atlantic’s historic boys basketball run ends in 4A state championship
- Rick Darlington turned to the single wing out of necessity. Now it’s a staple for DeLand
- Easton Royal and 5 other standouts from Under Armour All-America Game
For the AP
- Without much offense, Vietnam plays tough against US in Women’s World Cup debut
- The Women’s World Cup featured eight new teams that treasured the experience gained on global stage
- Commanders get competitive at their first training camp under Dan Quinn
- Odds stacked against Vietnam in Women’s World Cup in opening match against United States
- Norway moves into the knockout round at Women’s World Cup with 6-0 rout over the Philippines
- Low-key Kiwis: New Zealand slow to embrace Women’s World Cup
- Two-time world champ J’den Cox retires at US Olympic wrestling trials; 44-year-old reaches finals
For the Daily Collegian
- ‘More than just the player’ | Ex-Penn State football player Aaron Maybin’s art, passion helping Baltimore area (Award-winning article)
- How a 2-month isolation transformed Carter Starocci’s wrestling career
- Journey Brown’s (tire) change from Penn State football to NASCAR pit crew
For the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Ji Hwan Bae’s elite speed runs him into trouble in Pirates’ loss to Texas Rangers
- Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hosts 11th annual ManUp Pittsburgh event in Cranberry, emphasizes relationship with stepdad
- Duquesne football: How scheduling is putting a pre-World War II powerhouse back on the map
- College-turned-NFL teammates Nick Herbig, Keeanu Benton build off strong professional debuts
Awards
2023 Golden Quill winner for Student Excellence in Written Journalism – Sports
2023 First place in the Student Keystone Media Awards Sports Story category
Zachary Allen 