Published on March 10, 2015 by Bailey Fuqua  
SEJC JMC Awards Students

Samford University journalism students won multiple honors for their work in student media at the Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) Feb. 27-28.

Samford earned 15 awards in the Best of the South Collegiate Competition, in which 33 schools and 523 students competed.

“I was thrilled with how our student media, SNN, Exodus and the Crimson matched up against the student media at some of the biggest and most recognized journalism programs in the South,” said Bernie Ankney, chair of the journalism and mass communication department. “To place here is an exceptional accomplishment because you are competing against programs that are 10 to 15 times Samford's size.”

Sydney Cromwell, a senior journalism and mass communication major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won fourth place in the category of Best Multimedia Journalist, third in the category of Journalist of the Year and first in the Sports Photojournalism Championship.

Emily Featherston, a junior journalism and mass communication major from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, received an honorable mention in the Page Layout Championship and won second place in the category of Best News Writer.

“I think this competition just serves to demonstrate the strength of the Samford JMC department,” said Jimmy Lichtenwalter, a junior journalism and mass communication major from Johns Creek, Georgia.

Lichtenwalter placed fourth in the Best Arts & Entertainment Writer category.

“As a whole the department did incredibly well at SEJC,” he said. “We have some talented writers who are receiving great instruction at Samford.”

Other SEJC Student Awards:

Best College Video News Program: 9th place - SNN

Best College Magazine: 3rd place -- Exodus Magazine

Best TV Journalist: 9th place - Yvonne Gross

Best Newspaper Page Layout Designer: 7th place - Grace Miserocchi

Best News Graphic Design: 6th place - Amy Wilson

Best Magazine Layout Designer: 5th place - Kaitlyn Bouchillon

Best Sports Writer: 4th place - Sam Chandler

Best TV News Feature Reporter: 4th place - Cherie Olivier

Best Magazine Writer: 3rd place - Jonathan Adams

Copy Editing Championship: 3rd place - Halley Smith

Bailey Fuqua is a journalism and mass communication major and a news and feature writer in the Office of Marketing and Communication.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.