West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism students received five first place awards in the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Region 4 Mark of Excellence Award competition

The School of Journalisms bi-weekly newscast,WVU News,was named the top television newscast in the region, while broadcast news students swept the Television Sports Reporting category, taking all three places in the competition.

The Schools student-produced multimedia website,Starting Over: Loss and Renewal in Katrinas Aftermathtook first, second and third places in both the College Online In-Depth Reporting and the College Online News Reporting categories, as well as first and second places in College Online Feature Reporting.

Our students at the School of Journalism work exceptionally hard to produce top-quality news for their readers and viewers,said Bonnie Stewart, assistant professor and faculty supervisor for the WVU Chapter of SPJ .Having their work recognized at the regional level, with some moving on to the national competition, shows how competitive our students are when they enter the job market.

This years competition included more than 3,300 collegiate entries in 39 categories across SPJ s 12 regions. WVU competes in Region 4, along with schools in Michigan, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

The regional winners were awarded certificates April 14 during the Spring Conference held at the Detroit Marriott, Renaissance Center. First place regional winners advance to the national round of judging, which is currently taking place. National winners will be announced in mid May.

Complete List of WVU Winners:

Television Newscast

• First Place: P.I. Reed School of Journalism, West Virginia University,WVU News

Television General News Reporting

• Third Place: Jackie Cain, West Virginia University,Miners Cut/Sago

Television Feature

• Third Place: Megan Gillespie, West Virginia University,TwinsDisease

Television Sports Reporting

• First Place: Sean Merinar, West Virginia University,Mickey Furtari Profile

• Second Place: Amanda McCall, West Virginia University,Pittsnogle Baby

• Third Place: Paul Williams, West Virginia University,Sports Memories

  Online News Reporting

• First Place: Lindsey Anne Fleming, West Virginia University,From Storm to Surgery

• Second Place: Robert Rizzuto and Sarah Wesson, West Virginia University,Running on Faith

• Third Place: Jesse Wright, West Virginia University,Staying for Missy

Online Feature Reporting

• First Place: Justin Weaver, Bobby Rizzuto, Sarah Wesson and Mike Costello, West Virginia University,Together Again

• Second Place: Justin Weaver and Ivy Guiler, West Virginia University,Endless Stories

Online In-Depth Reporting

• First Place: WVU School of Journalism, West Virginia University,A look inside the race debate

• Second Place: Holly Hildreth, West Virginia University,The Last to Leave

• Third Place: WVU School of Journalism, West Virginia University,Journalists Speak/Privacy in the Media