Northwestern News Wins 13 Awards at Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association Conference

April 16, 2026

Northwestern News staff attending the Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association Conference on April 1 show off seven first-place awards. Staff attending include (from left) Oaklee Fielder, sports editor; Victor Kinzie, advertising manager and photographer; Ingrid Maldonado, photo editor; and Kevin Kaumans, entertainment editor.

ALVA, Okla. — The Northwestern News staff won 13 awards — seven first place, four second place and two third place — on April 1 at the annual Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association (OCMA) Conference at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.

Ten colleges and universities in the state are members of OCMA. Eight schools sent representatives to the conference. Members of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame judged the contest entries, which appeared in the Northwestern News between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025.

The following Rangers won first-place awards:

Jaxyn Cloud, a senior media and communication major from Enid, General News Story, “Asbestos Closes JD Annex”
Alli Schieber, junior media and communication major from O'Keene, Breaking News, “Crystalized Picric Acid Causes Campus to Temporarily Close Thursday Morning”
Ingrid Maldonado, senior media and communication major from Alva, In-Depth Reporting, “How can America be healthy again?”; Feature/Personality Profile, “Do Children have Too Much Screen Time?”; Sports Photo, “Rodeo does well at FSCC”
Emma Gott, junior media and communication major from Fort Worth, Texas, Sports Feature/Personality Profile, “Car Accident Changes Player’s Life: The Story of Lily Anderson”
Victor Kinzie, sophomore health and sports science education major from Edmond, News Photo, “Protestors Seek Justice in Police Shooting”

Second-place awards:

Oaklee Fielder, sophomore media and communication major from Enid, Breaking News, “Jones out after 2-9 football season”
Karolina Juresiute Arensdorf, media and communication graduate from Pratt, Kansas, Feature/Personality Profile, “Do Cellphones Distract Students?” and In-Depth Reporting, “AI Becoming Beneficial Tool”
Sarah Brashears, junior accounting major from Alva, Personal Column, “Authenticity Over People Pleasing”

Cloud also earned a third-place award for her feature/personality profile, “Adventures, Family, Friendships and Kindness: The Story of Dr. Jenny Sattler,” and Maldonado earned a third-place award for her personal column, “Importance in having Community Support.”

“Once again, the Northwestern News staff’s work excelled at OCMA,” said Dr. Kaylene Armstrong, professor of mass communication who has advised the staff for 11 years and will be retiring from the university at the end of the school year. “Many people don’t realize the late nights and untold hours these students put in to make the newspaper outstanding. They all work really hard to do a great job and meet the deadlines. I’m proud of all the students who make the newspaper successful every semester, even if their work didn’t win an award. They are all winners in my book.”

For more information about Northwestern’s Media and Communication program, visit their webpage.

-NW-

Media Contact:
Sean J. Doherty, University Relations Specialist
Email: sjdoherty@nwosu.edu
Phone: (580) 327-8480