March 4, 1995

Student journalists from Utah State University collected 12 awards including six first place honors in the annual Society of Professional Journalists regional competition announced in Denver Saturday, finishing second overall in the four-state region. USU broadcasters dominated in TV-radio journalism, taking nine awards including five firsts in the six categories they entered. Print journalists from Utah State won three awards, one first and two seconds.

The best individual student journalist in Region 9 was Eric Olsen, a junior broadcasting major in USU's Department of Communication who came away with three first-place awards and one second in the region's Society of Professional Journalists annual "Mark of Excellence" contest.

"It's a real honor to go up against all the best journalism schools in the region and get this kind of recognition," said Olsen, a Cache Valley native. We work hard at USU "I'm glad it shows."

Region 9 of the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation's largest organization of working and student journalists, includes Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. In all, six USU student journalists won prizes in the annual competitions announced over the weekend at the region's 1995 SPJ conference in Denver. Five USU students and faculty, the largest out-of-state delegation, attended the annual meeting, which included a day of seminars as well as the awards ceremonies. The USU winners were:

Eric Olsen: First place in TV sports reporting, first in TV sports photography, first in radio sports reporting, and second in TV feature photography.

Jason Wanlass: First place in TV news photography; first in TV in-depth reporting; third in TV feature reporting. Wanlass, who graduated from USU last spring, is an announcer and videographer at Channel 8 in Idaho Falls, ID.

Brian Bowcut: First place in editorial writing. Bowcut, a junior from West Jordan, UT, is managing editor of the Cache Citizen, which was awarded second place in the competition for best overall non-daily newspaper.

Michelle Lafargue: First place in TV feature photography. LaFargue is a senior from Eugene, Ore.

Karie Kapp: Third place in TV feature photography. Kapp is a senior from Hyde Park, UT.

Ken Miller: Second in newspaper sports writing. Miller, sports editor of the Cache Citizen, is a junior from Altamont, UT.

"We are incredibly proud of our students," said Ted Pease, head of the USU Department of Communication. "They're smart. They're good. They do very good work. The fact that we can go up against the best of BYU, the University of Colorado, Utah and the other top schools in this region in professional competition and do so well says a lot about the quality of USU's program.

"BYU edged us out for top honors this year, but just wait until next year," Pease said.

Professor Penny Byrne, who directs USU's broadcast journalism program, pointed to the breadth of categories in which her students won honors. "Our daily newscasts, aired as local inserts on CNN Headline News throughout the Cache Valley, really keep our students on their toes," said Byrne, adviser to USU's SPJ chapter. "If their work looks professional, it's because it is, every day."

In all, BYU won 16 awards, including eight firsts, to lead the four-state competition. USU was second with 12 and six firsts, followed by the University of New Mexico with six and two firsts; Wyoming, five total and two firsts; Colorado State, five total and one first; Southern Utah with two, including one first; and the University of Utah, one first.

USU's student chapter will host the 1996 SPJ Regional 9 convention at the Sherwood Hills Best Western Resort in Wellsville Canyon.

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