INDIANAPOLIS – On opening day of the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference Basketball Championship Tournament, eight men’s teams set out this afternoon preparing for their biggest test of the season. This evening, eight students from five GLVC member institutions are doing the same thing, but with extra credit in mind.
The GLVC Sports Network began its most comprehensive coverage of the conference’s annual basketball tournament on Thursday and will close out the night with a new initiative called “Extra Credit” that provides an opportunity for GLVC students to take over the broadcast and have complete control of the coverage from start to finish.
During Thursday’s stream of the 8:30 p.m. CT quarterfinal between No. 3 seed University of Wisconsin-Parkside and No. 6 seed Truman State University, GLVCSN Extra Credit will showcase the talents of six GLVC students in a variety of different broadcasting and production roles.
University of Indianapolis sophomore Evan Wilks, an Indianapolis, Indiana, native who spends time calling Greyhound games on campus station FM 88.7 WICR, will handle play-by-play duties, while Lewis University senior Shane Gustafson will serve as color analyst. Gustafson, a native of Woodridge, Illinois, is currently the sports producer and host of the Lewis University Television Network (LUTN). He has also served in a number of roles at campus radio station WLRA-FM and school television outlet WFLY-TV.
Using the Production Truck software provided by GLVCSN partner Volar Video, University of Southern Indiana junior Tristan White will direct the game in a similar fashion that he does for Screaming Eagle TV (SETV12) on campus. Sitting next to the Indianapolis, Indiana, native in the producer role will be Drury University senior Kevin Abernathy, who managed the Panthers’ Production Truck operations in addition to play-by-play duties for volleyball and soccer this past fall. Abernathy is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and recently completed his final year of eligibility on Drury’s cross country team.
The GLVCSN coverage extends beyond the broadcast as Extra Credit will also showcase two conference talents from the social media and print media fields. Devin Gillespie, a junior defensive end on Truman State University’s football team last fall and current sports editor of the school newspaper, The Index, will oversee all social media coverage on the GLVC’s Twitter account, @GLVCsports. A.J. Rose, a University of Indianapolis senior from North Vernon, Indiana, is the school’s sports editor at The Reflector, and will serve in the print media role tonight. Rose will provide the game story, which will be published on GLVCsports.com.
The GLVCSN Extra Credit crew will return Friday for the first women’s quarterfinal game at 12 p.m. CT against No. 4 UW-Parkside and No. 5 Quincy. Gustafson will move to play-by-play duties and be joined by analyst and UIndy senior Jordan Beasley. The Hammond, Indiana, native currently works with Wilks on UINDY’s campus station FM 88.7 WICR.
USI junior Jordan Fisher will assume responsibilities in front of the computer on Production Truck. The Poseyville, Indiana, native is majoring in radio and television and currently works as a reporter for USI’s radio state, The Edge, while also contributing to the school’s news show, Access USI.
Abernathy returns to his same role, while Gillespie and Rose will swap social media and print media positions.
Fans can follow the action live on
GLVCsports.com/watch or on Twitter @GLVCsports using the hashtag, #GLVCSN.
The following is a closer look at the eight GLVC students taking place in the first-ever “Extra Credit” initiative on GLVCSN:
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Evan Wilks
Sophomore, Indianapolis
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Play-by-Play/Analyst
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Major: Communications - Emphasis in Sports Information
Current Campus Media Affiliation: FM 88.7 WICR
Career Aspirations in Sports Media/Production:
Aspiring Sports Broadcaster/Sports Information Director |
Shane Gustafason
Senior, Lewis
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Play-by-Play/Analyst
Hometown: Woodridge, IL
Major: Broadcast Journalism Current Campus Media
Affiliation: Lewis University Television Network (LUTN), WLRA-FM
Career Aspirations in Sports Media/Production: As much as I've done with sports, I actually hope to take more of a news approach to my future career. I'd like to work as a news anchor or reporter in Chicago one day. |
Jordan Beasley
Senior, Indianapolis
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Analyst
Hometown: Hammond, IN
Major: Communication (Emphasis: Electronic Media)
Campus Media Affiliation: FM 88.7 WICR
Career Aspirations: Upon graduation I hope to obtain a job in broadcast in either TV or radio. The ultimate goal would be doing play-by-play, anchoring, or hosting a talk show in either medium. |
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Tristan White
Junior, Southern Indiana
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Director (Production Truck)
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Major: Radio & Television
Current Campus Media Affiliation: Director, Screaming Eagle TV (SETV12)
Career Aspirations in Sports Media/Production: Directing/Producing live sports |
Jordan Fisher
Junior, Southern Indiana
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Director (Production Truck)
Hometown: Poseyville, IN
Major: Radio and Television
Current Campus Media Affiliation: Reporter for USI's Radio Station - The Edge as well as a reporter for USI's
News Show: Access USI
Career Aspirations in Sports Media/Production: Would like to some day be the voice of a professional sports team. |
Kevin Abernathy
Senior, Drury
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Producer (Production Truck)
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Major: English & Writing
Current Campus Media Affiliation: Athletic department student assistant for streaming; previously sports editor of the Drury Mirror for two years.
Career Aspirations in Sports Media/Production: I would like to work in a college athletic department. Sometimes I want to coach. Sometimes I want to work in sports information, and sometimes I just want to see what happens. |
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A.J. Rose
Senior, Indianapolis
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Social/Print Media
Hometown: North Vernon, IN
Major: Communication
Current Campus Media Affiliation: Sports Editor at The Reflector, the student newspaper of the University of Indianapolis
Career Aspirations in Sports Media/Production: sports writer or sports information director |
Devin Gillespie
Junior, Truman State
GLVCSN Extra Credit Role: Social/Print Media
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Major: Communication
Current Campus Media Affiliation: Sports Editor, Truman State University Index
Career Aspirations in Sports Media: Sports Information Director |
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