University News
WIU Sports Broadcasting Students Gain Front-Row Experience at OVC Women’s Basketball Championship
March 17, 2026
MACOMB, IL - - For a group of Western Illinois University students, the Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Championship at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN, was more than a title run. It was a live, high-pressure learning lab in sports journalism and ESPN production.
Six representatives from WIU's Sports Broadcasting program in the School of Communication and Media traveled to the OVC Women's Basketball Championship as the Leathernecks made a historic run to the conference title. Four students covered the tournament as working journalists, while one student and one staff member were selected to support ESPN live sports production operations.
Juniors Patrick Cummings, Nathaniel Rogers and Glen Novak, along with freshman Ben Wamsley, covered the tournament on site, producing highlights, pregame content and social media reports throughout the event. They attended press conferences, conducted one-on-one interviews and delivered live updates from the arena, including reporting on social media when the television broadcast had ended.
For Novak, the experience offered a clearer view of what it takes to work in the field.
"I learned a lot from being there, especially seeing how press conferences work, how quickly you have to edit and turn content around, and how much the experience teaches you about becoming a sports journalist," Novak said.
Senior Caiden Strenz and Baldwin Martinez-Munos, a BC&J staff member, were selected by the Ohio Valley Conference to assist with ESPN's live production coverage of the championship after demonstrating strong performance in WIU's own live sports productions.
Working alongside a larger conference-level operation gave them direct exposure to the pace, coordination and technical standards of a high-level broadcast environment. Martinez-Munos said the opportunity expanded his understanding of how large live productions are executed while also allowing him to build industry connections and gain further experience with production equipment, workflows and broadcast style.
The trip reflected the kind of hands-on training WIU students receive through the sports broadcasting program, where classroom instruction is paired with real-world opportunities in reporting, production and live event coverage. Rather than observing from the sidelines, students are regularly placed in situations that demand adaptability, professionalism and strong storytelling under a deadline.
Experiences like the OVC championship allow students to test their skills in the same environments they hope to enter after graduation, whether that means covering teams as multimedia sports journalists or working behind the scenes in live television production.
For students considering a future in sports media, WIU's School of Communication and Media offers opportunities to build portfolios, gain live-event experience and develop the practical skills needed in today's industry.
For more information on WIU's Sports Broadcasting program, visit wiu.edu/cofac/bcj.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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