Students from Troy University’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication were recently recognized with a spate of top awards by the Southeast Journalism Conference, including two first-place wins for TROY TrojanVision in best news program and best college TV station.

J-School students took home 10 awards during the annual SEJC Conference, held Feb. 16-18 at the University of Mississippi. The list of awards included:

• TROY TrojanVision: Best College TV Station (1st Place)
• TROY TrojanVision: Best College Video News Program (1st Place)
• Ryan Renfrow: Best Television Journalist (1st Place)
• Sarah Singelterry: Best Television Journalist (2nd Place)
• Jordyn Elston: Best Television Hard News Reporter (1st Place)
• Samantha Charles Kocan: Best Television News Feature Reporter (1st Place)
• Sharrinque McEachern: Best Radio News Feature Reporter (1st Place)
• Abigail Nicholson: Best Newspaper News-Editorial Artist/Illustrator (1st Place)
• Matt Firpo: Best Newspaper Opinion-Editorial Writer (9th Place)
• The Tropolitan: Best College Newspaper (6th Place)

Aaron Taylor, TV Production Coordinator for TROY TrojanVision, said this is the first time that a university has swept the first place awards in the broadcast category.

“The students at TROY TrojanVision work daily to produce a quality newscast,” Taylor said. “They don’t necessarily do it to win awards but winning an award for all the hard work they have put in is icing on the cake. I am extremely proud of what they have accomplished. It speaks volumes for our program that we are able to sweep the broadcast category at SEJC.”

TROY TrojanVision is one of the only college news stations in the nation producing three live 30-minute newscasts a day, five days a week. That level of work, and a commitment to excellence, helps prepare students for a career in television, Taylor said.

“This kind of recognition means a lot to me, to the students, to TROY TrojanVision and to the school,” Taylor said. “It shows that we are one of the premier broadcast journalism programs in the country.”

Dr. Jefferson Spurlock, Director of the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, praised the students’ achievements.

“This was a tremendous testament to the caliber of journalism students attending Troy University,” Spurlock said. “They are gifted, intelligent young people with skills and knowledge to match.  I cannot be more proud.”

SEJC is a primarily academic organization composed of more than 45 member colleges and universities in all states across the Southeast, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.