Midwestern State University’s student media won 28 awards at the annual Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition in Fort Worth on April 7-8.

The Wichitan was awarded first place for best website and placed second overall in the Best of Show newspaper category, as well as an Honorable Mention in general excellence.

Individual students won eight first-place awards, six second-place awards, nine third-place awards, and two honorable mentions.

Jim Sernoe, chair of the Mass Communication Department, said more schools participated this year. “The level of competition continues to increase both in numbers and in ability,” Sernoe said. “Yet we continue to show that we can compete with the best students in the state, even those from considerably larger schools.”

Those earning first-place awards included:

Omar Combie and Abigail Jones, feature page design; Thalia Doe Bravo, Spanish news story; Thalia Doe Bravo, Katie Forbus and Stephanie Robledo, television documentary; Donovan Jackson, feature story; Kerrigan Reyes, literary magazine cover design; Stephanie Robledo, podcast; Colin Stevenson, video production; and Cecil Witherspoon, news writing.

Those earning second-place awards included:

Brandon Cerda, podcast; Jones, yearbook design; Alvin Runnels, television news writing; Stevenson, sports action photo and sports feature photo; and Witherspoon, editorial writing.

Those earning third-place awards included:

Ashton Bayless, Abigail Defore, Connor Lee and Robledo, literary magazine design; Omar Combie, advertising design and newspaper cover design; Combie, Defore, Jones and Robledo, newspaper design; Emily Copeland, public relations crisis management; Tiffany Haggard, radio announcing; Shun’de Hooks, video news; Jones, editorial page design; and Stevenson, news photo.

Those earning honorable mention awards included:

Combie, Robledo and Stevenson, newspaper website; and Jones, feature page design.

TIPA is a statewide organization of journalism and mass communication programs with a membership of about 75 universities. Approximately 55 schools sent representatives to the competition.

Contact Sernoe at 940-397-4391 or Associate Professor of Mass Communication Jonathon Quam at 940-397-4849 for more information.