1. Recognizing Students in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska -- Region 7 Conference April 10, 2010 Omaha, Nebraska

2. About the Awards The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. The awards offer 39 categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism First place regional winners are forwarded on to the national competition. National winners will be honored at the 2010 SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference in Las Vegas.

3. Online Feature Reporting 3rd Place ~ Rachel Dannen, Baker University TheBakerOrange.com 2nd Place ~ Reina Murphy, Chris Smith, Kelsey Epperson and Alesha Miller, Baker University TheBakerOrange.com 1st Place ~ Adam Falk, University of Missouri ColumbiaMissourian.com “Play in a Day” Judges said: “The task is daunting: Begin with a script in the morning and prepare all day to present a play that night. Telling the story of a "Play in a Day" is no less difficult. But this entry does a wonderful job of capturing the nervousness, excitement, frustration and joy of putting it all together. Outstanding work.”

4. Online In-Depth Reporting 1st Place ~ XinFeng… University of Iowa DailyIowan.com “Readying for War” Judges said: “This entry is a winner because it offers solid reporting, a good range of sources, and determined efforts to find the source of an email scam targeting students. The package includes simple audio and video presentations to explain the story.”

5. Online Sports Reporting 3rd Place ~ Len Goldman & Joe Bradley, University of Missouri ColumbiaMissourian.com 2nd Place ~ Kelsey Epperson, Baker University TheBakerOrange.com 1st Place ~ Evan Bush, Adam Falk & Taryn Wood, University of Missouri ColumbiaMissourian.com “Pregame Playmakers” Judges said: “Excellent enterprise coverage that spotlights the hundreds of people who help to put on a show for a major college football game. Excellent use of multimedia to tell these interesting stories.”

6. Newspapers: Breaking News Reporting 3rd Place ~ Bethany Pint, Iowa State University Iowa State Daily 2nd Place ~ Staff, University of Kansas University Daily Kansan 1st Place ~ Daniel Johnson, University of Kansas University Daily Kansan “Jayhawk fights rock campus” Judges said: “Comprehensive one-day coverage by one reporter. Included quotes from students, area business owner, university officials. A lot of territory was covered in a short period. Well done.”

7. Newspapers: General News Reporting 3rd Place ~ Jessica Opoien, Iowa State University Iowa State Daily 2nd Place ~ Jason Miller, Kansas State University Kansas State Collegian 1st Place ~ Daniel Johnson, University of Kansas University Daily Kansas “Overdrafts under review” Judges said: “Fresh take on a story of interest to wide college audience. Well written and detailed. Covered all aspects and did not leave unanswered questions. Writer did great research for this story. Good use of quotes from various sources.”

8. Newspapers: In-Depth Reporting 2rd Place ~ Aly Van Dyke, University of Kansas University Daily Kansan 1st Place ~ Danny Valentine, University of Iowa The Daily Iowan “The siren song of alcohol” Judges said: “This in-depth story gave me chills as I read it. It really showed, demonstrated the seriousness of this problem on the campus of the University of Iowa. Wow!”

9. Newspapers: Feature Writing 3rd Place ~ Brandon Sayers, University of Kansas University Daily Kansan 2nd Place ~ Torey Robinson, Iowa State University Iowa State Daily 1st Place ~ Kim Norvell, Iowa State University Iowa State Daily “A fatal mistake” Judges said: “The writer does an excellent job of bringing out the humanity of Shanda and the victims in the story. The story is emotional, but not overly so. Strong quotes and tight writing move the reader through the story.”

10. Newspapers: Editorial Writing 2nd Place ~ Kyle Peterson, Iowa State University Iowa State Daily 1st Place ~ Brennan Stebbins, Missouri Southern State University The Chart Editorials on administration Judges said: “Many proven effective opinion-writing techniques such as repetition, direct address, and strong, early calls to action in this series of editorials on the turmoil involving the university president.”

11. Newspapers: General Column Writing 2nd Place ~ Chance York, Kansas State University Kansas State Collegian 1st Place ~ Jessica Opoien, Iowa State University Iowa State Daily “Equality,” “Number” and “Plagiarism” Judges said: “Well-reasoned columns with clearly expressed thoughts and opinions.”

12. Newspapers: Sports Writing (4-yr college) 3rd Place ~ Blake Toppmeyer, Truman State University The Truman Index 2nd Place ~ Scott Miller, University of Iowa The Daily Iowan 1st Place ~ Andrew Astleford, University of Missouri Columbia Missourian “Arena of Dreams” Judges said: “Outstanding feature on football players who have not given up their dream of the NFL. Great job of setting the stage, good use of descriptive language.”

13. Newspapers: Sports Writing (2-year college) 1st Place ~ Collin Reischman, St. Louis Community College Meramec The Montage “Removed from the mat” Judges said: “Really nicely done. The writer covered most of the bases and did a good job of letting the reader know just how big the dismissal of the coach in a sport without a huge following really was.”

14. Newspapers: Sports Column Writing 2nd Place ~ Jack Nichol, Truman State University The Index 1st Place ~ Chris Smith, Baker University The Baker Orange Perspectives on sports Judges said: “This writer clearly understands two things about sports column writing: Sports are to be fun and the sports columnist can make them fun for his readers. He does a fantastic job of using humor, especially the acronym in the story about the dodge ball game.”

15. Magazines: Non-Fiction Article 3rd Place ~ Kayla Craig, Drake University Drake Magazine 2nd Place ~ Katy Steinmetz, University of Missouri Vox Magazine 1st Place ~ Chris Hamby, University of Missouri Vox Magazine “Keeper of the court” Judges said: “Compelling story with a solid foundation. The strong writing carries the reader from beginning to end, building upon each new section as we go.”

16. Photography:Photo Illustration 3rd Place ~ Julia Smith, Creighton University The Creightonian 2nd place ~ RashahMcChesney, Iowa State University The Iowa State Daily 1st place ~ Darin Friedrichs, Drake University Drake Magazine “Morning after survival guide” Judges said: “This series of photo illustrations did a good job of telling the story, and was well-suited for the targeted audience. A slight touch of humor enhanced them, rather than making light of the situations.”

17. Radio News Reporting 2nd place ~ Taylor Reeh, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM 1st place ~ Becky Thiele, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM “Rain delays harvest” Judges said: “Nice voice for broadcast work. Sound bites and and written words tell the story quite well.”

18. Radio News Feature 3rd Place ~ J.P. Regan, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM 2nd place ~ Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM 1st place ~ Brandon Smith, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM “Low pork prices hurt farmers” Judges said: “This was a very competitive category with little separating the high-quality work among the top three. This entry has strong, descriptive writing and does good job explaining a complex topic in simple terms.”

19. Radio In-Depth Reporting 1st place ~ Lindsey Foat & Emily Coppel, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM “Life after prison” Judges said: “This is superior work. Well written voice over, excellent use of natural sound -- all woven together quite well to tell an interesting, informative story. I'd listen to quality work like this in a heartbeat.”

20. Radio Sports Reporting 2nd place ~ Shane Hoffman, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM 1st place ~ Brandon Spencer, University of Missouri KBIA 91.3 FM “Tailgaters Ride to Football Games in Style: In the ZouBus” Judges said: “Good concept & story”

21. Television: Breaking News Reporting 1st place ~ Alex Rozier, University of Missouri KOMU-TV “Getting to know Alyssa Bustamante” Judges said: “Very good live shot to set up the story. Excellent selection of sound bites to show how emotional this case is. Effective use of photographs to help tell the story. Nice job.”

22. Television: General News Reporting 3rd place ~ KenzieCordt, University of Kansas KUJH-TV 2nd place ~ Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri KOMU-TV 1st place ~ Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri KOMU-TV “Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Cupp Chevrolet” Judges said: “Good editing--good way to take national story and make it local, about real people in your community with good writing/video/sound”

23. Television: Feature Reporting 3rd Place ~ KenzieCordt, University of Kansas KUJH-TV 2rd Place ~ Renee Goodwin, Missouri State University KOZK-TV 1st place ~ Allan Thompson, University of Missouri KOMU-TV “Hunting for hope” Judges said” “Outstanding story, well conceived with excellent storytelling. Very well shot and edited. Great natural sound.”

24. Television: In-Depth Reporting 3rd place ~ Beth Ford, University of Missouri KOMU-TV 2nd place ~ XinFeng, University of Iowa UITV 1st place ~ Laura Nichols, University of Missouri KOMU-TV “Marine vaccination injury”

25. Television: Sports Reporting 2rd place ~ Alex Rozier, University of Missouri KOMU-TV 1st place ~ Michael Kelly, University of Missouri KOMU-TV “Fan Rumps” Judges said: “It included several excellent news elements including conflict, impact, timeliness, proximity, prominence, helpfulness and human interest. It made good use of natural sound, featured a creative standup and creative cover footage.”

26. Television: Feature Photography 1st place ~ Phillip Pulliam, Missouri State University KOZK-TV “Hotel of Terror” Judges said: “Nice Halloween feature. Highlights some of what a patron might see without giving away too much.”

27. Television: Sports Photography 2nd place ~ Alex Rozier, University of Missouri KOMU-TV 1st place ~ Mike Brannen, University of Missouri KOMU-TV “Nasty nine” Judges said: “Good story... good integration of the Antlers and the Macon County crazies. Good video.”

28. Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper (pub. at least 4 times a week) 2nd place ~ University Daily Kansan Staff University of Kansas 1st place ~ Iowa State Daily Staff Iowa State University Judges said: “Great synergy between articles, photography and layout. Fine writing style on most stories, one that heightened interest. The story package on the hit-and-run and drunk driving was well executed, topped off with a fine editorial. One of the better college papers that I've read.”

29. Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper (pub. Less than 4 times a week) 3rd Place ~ The Baker Orange Staff Baker University 2rd Place ~ The Truman Index Staff Truman State University 1st place ~ The CreightonianStaff Creighton University Judges said: “All-around excellent newspaper. Clean, inviting design of pages, story packages and photo spreads. Good mix of news and features. Great photography.”

30. Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (2-year college) 1st place ~ The Montage Staff St. Louis Community College, Meramec Carlos Restrepo, Editor-in-Chief Judges said: “The Montage staff is publishing a well-designed, well-written and interesting newspaper. Balanced coverage includes breaking news, controversial issues and excellent features.”

31. Best All-Around Radio Newscast 1st place ~ KBIA 91.3 FM University of Missouri Taylor Reeh with “Regional News” Judges said: “Smooth delivery. Copy was well written, concise, well organized. This entry was as good or better than you'd hear on some commercial stations in mid- or small markets. Nice job.”

32. Best Affiliated Web Site 3rd Place ~ Staff, DrakeMagazine.com Drake University 2rd Place ~ Staff, ThinkMagazine.com Drake University 1st place ~ Staff, Kansan.com University of Kansas Judges said: “An outstanding student publication. Attractive, easy to navigate, and thorough. Well done!”

33. Best Student Magazine 3rd Place ~ 515 Magazine, Drake University Max Plenke, Editor 2nd Place ~ Trend Magazine, Iowa State University Staff 1st Place ~ Drake Magazine, Drake University Tara Richards, Editor Judges said: “This entry is highly professional in quality of production and design and has a wide variety of features that would appeal to a broad audience. The writing is strong and the photography helps present the stories in a pleasing manner.”

34. Bragging Rights! Most awards…. University of Missouri TOTAL = 24