For Immediate Release:
4/6/09

Contact:
Lauren Rochester, Awards Coordinator, 317-927-8000 ext. 210, lrochester@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards winners for the 2008 calendar year. SPJ Region 11 includes Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and Northern Mariana Islands. This year, collegiate journalists submitted more than 3,600 entries in 39 categories across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were recognized on April 4 during the regional spring conference held at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. First place regional winners advance to the national round of judging, which is ongoing. National winners will be announced in mid-May.

2008 Region 11 Winners:

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Lance Madden & Bryan Roy, University of Arizona, “Lute suffered from stroke”
• Second Place: Adolfo Flores, California State University-Northridge, “CSUN student among dead in train crash”
• Third Place: Audrey Kuo, University of California-LA, “Activists protest at temple”

General News Reporting
• First Place: Allie Hostler, Humboldt State University, “Un-dam the Klamath deal struck”
• Second Place: Danielle Directo, California State University-Northridge, “Imprisoned grad student”
• Third Place: Matt Culbertson, Arizona State University, “Justice served 30 years later”

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Investigative Reporting Class, Humboldt State University, “Nobody’s Fault”
• Second Place: Evan Pellegrina & Ryan Kraft, University of Arizona, “Deadly abuse of RX drugs”
• Third Place: W.J. Hennigan, Arizona State University, “Last Resort”

Feature Writing
• First Place: Trey Bundy, San Francisco State University, “Higher Education”
• Second Place: Rebecca Niebla, Southwestern College, “Better angles’ journey for human rights”
• Third Place: Rod Bastamehr, University of California-Santa Cruz, “Filling in the bubbles”

Sports Writing
• First Place: Sam Allen, University of California-LA, “Divided on the brink of greatness”
• Second Place: Andrew Pentis, Arizona State University, “Letting go of it all”
• Third Place: Stephanie Jerzy, University of Arizona, “Dreams of big leagues don’t die here”

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Victoria Tang, University of California-Berkeley
• Second Place: Staff, City on a Hill Press, University of California-Santa Cruz
• Third Place: Oscar Burbua & Nader Alsheikh, Loyola Marymount University

Editorial Cartooning
• First Place: Joseph Ward, Arizona State University
• Second Place: David Reilly, Loyola Marymount University
• Third Place: no award

General Column Writing
• First Place: Christopher Ogino, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Katie Powers, Santa Clara University
• Third Place: Mengfei Chen, University of California-Irvine

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Jon Doss, University of California-Berkeley
• Second Place: no award
• Third Place: no award

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper (published at least 4 times per week)
• First Place: Staff, Arizona Daily Wildcat, University of Arizona
• Second Place: Staff, The State Press, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Staff, The Daily Californian, University of California-Berkeley

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (published less than 4 times per week)
• First Place: Staff, The Orion, California State University-Chico
• Second Place: Staff, Los Angeles Loyolan, Loyola Marymount University
• Third Place: Staff, The Golden Gate Xpress, San Francisco State University

Magazine Non-Fiction Article
• First Place: Josh Chin, University of California-Berkeley, “Fantasy Island”
• Second Place: Trey Bundy, San Francisco State University, “United Playaz”
• Third Place: Ryan Kost, Arizona State University, “Border Orphans”

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: Staff, Brink, University of California-Berkeley
• Second Place: Staff, Divided Families, Arizona State University
• Third Place: Staff, Health E, Arizona State University

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Samantha Cook, University of California-LA, “Prop. 8 protest in LA attracts thousands”
• Second Place: Jonathan Burroughs, California State University-Northridge, “Fires surround valley”
• Third Place: Sophie Asmar, Santa Clara University, “Police search for gunman after fight”

General News Photography
• First Place: Deanna Dent, Arizona State University, “Border Orphans”
• Second Place: Maya Sugarman, University of California-LA, “Drawing educational, artistic freedoms”
• Third Place: Mark Rojas, Southwestern College, “Yes we did!”

Feature Photography
•First Place: Roxana Vasquez, University of Arizona, “He still answers call of duty – as VA volunteer”
• Second Place: Andrew Riggs, California State University-Fresno, “It was electric”
• Third Place: Phil Carter, University of California-Santa Cruz, “Correctional Education”

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Mike Christy, University of Arizona, “Protest and Change”
• Second Place: Sheldon Smith, University of Arizona, “Cans”
• Third Place: Luisa Morenilla, University of California-Berkeley, “Fantasy Island”

Sports Photography
• First Place: Russell Scoffin, Southwestern College, “Feets of magic…almost”
• Second Place: Matt Pavelek, Arizona State University, “ASU on wrong side of Saturday night surprise”
• Third Place: Scott Roeder, University of California Irvine, “Midnight Magic”

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Jonathan Horn, University of Southern California, “Naturalization ceremony”
• Second Place: Jacob Margolis, University of California-Santa Cruz, “Walk for lifer counter protest”
• Third Place: Danielle McGill, California State University-Northridge, “SWAT officer in hostage standoff”

Radio Feature
• First Place: Colton Shone, Arizona State University, “Tattoo”
• Second Place: April Dembosky, University of California-Berkeley, “Talking to computers”
• Third Place: Danielle Judovits, California State University-Northridge, “Voiceover Artists”

Radio In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Darrien Henning, California State University-Northridge, “Same sex marriage”
• Second Place: Rina Palta, University of California-Berkeley, “After prison: Convict reentry in California”
• Third Place: Kenya Young, California State University-Northridge, “Home foreclosures”

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: April Dembrosky, University of California-Berkeley, “No room for mermaids in synchronized swimming”
• Second Place: Dana Granillo, Arizona State University, “Ticket scalping”
• Third Place: no award

Radio Newscast
• First Place: Staff, Annenberg Radio News, University of Southern California
• Second Place: Staff, KCSN News, California State University-Northridge, “The Evening Update”
• Third Place: no award

Television Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Tina Patel, Catriona Lavery & Kattie Lam, University of California-LA, “Prop. 8 protest in front of Mormon Church”
• Second Place: Emily Graham, Arizona State University, “Los Angeles Mongols gang bust”
• Third Place: Jeff Skrzypek, Arizona State University, “Immigrants found”

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: Rossana Woo & Simone Luker, California State University-Northridge, “Train Crash”
• Second Place: Emily Graham, Arizona State University, “McCain’s final rally”
• Third Place: Chiara Sottile, University of California-LA, “Behind the myth: Indigenous peoples of Thanksgiving Day sunrise ceremony”

Television Feature
• First Place: Amber Dixon, Arizona State University, “Dairy in the city”
• Second Place: Jeff Skrzypek, Arizona State University, “Mobile Doctor”
• Third Place: Gina Sandoval, University of La Verne, “Timmy Wheels”

Television In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Amanda Soares, Arizona State University, “Children of the borderlands”
• Second Place: Michelle Ashworth, Arizona State University, “Teen Prostitution”
• Third Place: no award

Television Sports Reporting
no awards

Television News Photography
• First Place: Mathew Mendez, University of Southern California, “Wildfires”
• Second Place: Michelle Ashworth, Arizona State University, “Teen Prostitution”
• Third Place: no award

Television Feature Photography
• First Place: Amber Dixon, Arizona State University, “Dairy in the city”
• Second Place: Liz McKernan, Arizona State University, “Musical Peers”
• Third Place: Amber Dixon, Arizona State University, “Special Needs/Young Adults”

Television Sports Photography
• First Place: Michael Seiden, Arizona State University, “Fighting for redemption”
• Second Place: Matt Pagel, Arizona State University, “ASU wrestling”
• Third Place: Staff, Annenberg TV News, University of Southern California, “USC vs. Stanford”

Television Newscast
• First Place: Staff, Cronkite Newswatch, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Staff, Annenberg TV News, University of Southern California
• Third Place: no award

Online News Reporting
• First Place: Alison Denny, Matthew Burrows & Michael Shawn Tucker, Arizona State University, “ASU Crime”
• Second Place: Benjamin Garber, California State University-Northridge, “Metrolink crash special coverage”
• Third Place: Monique Devoe, Jeremy Alm, Shea Drefs & Kim Foley, Arizona State University, “ASU students face economic hard times”

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: Ryan Kost, Arizona State University, “U.S. children stuck in Mexican orphanages”
• Second Place: Keridwen Cornelius & Jill Solan, Arizona State University, “Diepsloot: A Township”
• Third Place: Betty Bastidas, University of California-Berkeley, “Digging Down”

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: JMC 470 & JMC 494, Arizona State University, “Divided Families”
• Second Place: Ryan Kost & Jourdan Rassas, Arizona State University, “Defining Change”
• Third Place: Staff, Mission Loc@l, University of California-Berkeley, “Migra Matters”

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: Joel Ede, Jimmy Graben, Logan Hopkins & Bryan Cole, California State University-Fresno, “San Jose win gives Dogs bowl hope”
• Second Place: Andrew Pentis, Arizona State University, “Small-town transfer finding success at ASU’s big-time program”
• Third Place: Staff, The Santa Clara, Santa Clara University, “WCC basketball tournament coverage”

Online Opinion & Commentary
• First Place: Jill Sloan, Arizona State University, “Quiet Despair”
• Second Place: Joshua Schoonover, Arizona State University, “It’s the people”
• Third Place: Dan O’Conner, Arizona State University, “The dark side”

Best Affiliated Web site
• First Place: Staff, State Press & Web Devil, Arizona State University
• Second Place: New University Team, New University, University of California-Irvine
• Third Place: Staff, The Collegian Online, California State University-Fresno

Best All-Around Independent Online Student Publication
• First Place: JMC 470 & JMN 494, Cronkite Zine, Arizona State University
• Second Place: Staff, Border Beat, University of Arizona
• Third Place: no award

For additional information on the Mark of Excellence Awards, please contact Lauren Rochester at (317) 927-8000 ext. 210 or lrochester@spj.org.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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