The Argonaut, the student newspaper of Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, took first place in General Excellence in the California College Media Association competition Saturday night at a dinner at Hearst Castle. In all, The Argonaut won 15 awards in 11 categories.

The Argonaut competed in the division for college newspapers which publish less frequently than once-a-week. Second place went to the Otter Realm of California State University, Monterey Bay, and third went to the newspaper of Mills College in Oakland.

First place individual winners included Erik Oeverndiek (whose work accomplished while a graduate student last spring was eligible) for Best News Photo and Best Feature Photo; senior Taio Iwado, Best Cartoon; and NDNU graduate Shane Ito, Best Sports Photo. Ito also won second place in Best Feature Photo.

Other Argonaut honorees included Editor-in-Chief Bianca Nery who won third-place in Best News Feature and an honorable mention in Best News Series; Sports Editor Corazon Riley, second in Best Sports Page Design, third in Best Sports Photograph, and second in Best Breaking News Story; Managing Editor Jennifer Coleman, second in Best Editorial; former editor-in-chief Dominic Nolasco, second, Best Breaking News Story; columnist Sergio Patterson, second in Best Arts & Entertainment Review; and cartoonist Kent Gibo, second, Best Cartoon. (Here is a news release with all of the winners.