Columbia Missourian • 09/20/2024

From laundry to limelight: Noel brings humility to Missouri's program

With a story angle falling through just before my paper's print deadline, I pivoted to writing a feature on transfer running back Nate Noel. At the time, no media outlets had covered Noel in-depth, making this profile both timely and distinctive as he emerged as a key player for Missouri. Completing this feature in just one day remains one of the proudest accomplishments of my career.

Columbia Missourian • 10/26/2024

Crimson and ... over?

Following Missouri's 34-0 loss to Alabama, I geared my game-day story to cover how Missouri's backup quarterback and the rest of the offense's performance likely killed the team's already slim chance at making the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Columbia Missourian • 10/05/2024

Derailed in College Station: No. 9 Mizzou overpowered in deflating loss to No. 25 Texas A&M

This article marked my first game story in an away environment, a new challenge for me. Missouri's blowout loss presented a unique test — how to capture the narrative in a way that went beyond the final score. I chose to focus on the theme of missed opportunities, in an attempt to broaden the perspective of the team's struggles, rather than narrowing in on a single issue.

Columbia Missourian • 10/21/2024

Heart of a Champion | 2024 Tiger Kickoff Show

As part of the Columbia Missourian's collaboration with KOMU 8, I contribute to a semiweekly show alongside my coworkers and our host. We preview Missouri football opponents each Thursday before a game and recap the Tigers' performance on the Mondays after. This episode features our recap of the Missouri vs. Auburn game.

Columbia Missourian • 08/29/2024

How Brady Cook quieted outside noise, defied expectations to become Mizzou's confident QB1

In the first feature of the 2024 Missouri football season, I profiled senior quarterback Brady Cook. Throughout his time at Missouri, Cook faced significant adversity, particularly during the 2023 season when he had to reclaim his starting position. This piece highlights the challenges he overcame on his journey to his final season of eligibility.

Columbia Missourian • 10/18/2024

A fairy-tale season: How NIL and the transfer portal created more parity, Cinderella stories within college football

I found it interesting that parity in college football had become so evident in the 2024 season, with teams like Vanderbilt emerging as formidable contenders in the Southeastern Conference. I decided to write a story on the various factors that contribute to the normalization of Cinderella teams and connected them to Missouri's 2024 playoff chances.

Columbia Missourian • 11/08/2024

The Pyne predicament: Can Mizzou's backup quarterback answer the call if needed?

Throughout the bye week and week leading up to the Missouri vs. Oklahoma game, nobody knew who Missouri's starting quarterback was going to be. I wrote about second-string quarterback Drew Pyne, who filled in for starter Brady Cook in Missouri's matchup vs. Alabama, in the event that he would start vs. Oklahoma.

Columbia Missourian • 10/11/2024

In the red (zone): No. 21 Mizzou's offense, defense in search of rebound performance vs. UMass

In this article, I pushed myself to dive into in-depth statistical analysis, focusing on how Missouri performed in the red zone on both offense and defense. The biggest challenge with this story was translating complex numbers into a narrative, which I tried to do by explaining the deeper connections behind the stats and making them accessible to readers.

Columbia Missourian • 11/09/2024

A fumble-filled game: How No. 24 Mizzou's defense led it to a rivalry victory

Missouri's comeback victory vs. Oklahoma was largely thanks to the Tigers' defense. Fumbles were the name of the game in this matchup, and I wrote about them in this post-game sidebar.

Columbia Missourian • 09/07/2024

Mizzou dominates Buffalo, earns second consecutive shutout to start season

This game recap was first published immediately after Missouri's decisive 38-0 win over Buffalo. Following the post-game press conference, I updated the story with player quotes and additional context to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the game.

Columbia Missourian • 09/13/2024

‘It’s just a different feel’: Mizzou’s WR room showcasing why it’s one of the nation’s best

At the time of this article, Missouri was heavily focused on its run game, making the performance of its wide receiver unit a key point of interest. Leveraging the rising trend in search interest, I analyzed the evolution of Missouri’s wide receiver corps since its 2021 matchup against Boston College, leading up to this season's highly anticipated game.

Columbia Missourian • 10/03/2024

No. 9 Mizzou, No. 25 Texas A&M look to put similarities aside when they match up in College Station

This preview dives into the highly anticipated Missouri vs. Texas A&M matchup. I analyzed and compared different positional rooms on both teams. When I was researching the Aggies, what stood out to me was the similarity between the two teams, which ended up being my lede to set the tone for the breakdown that followed.

Columbia Missourian • 10/12/2024

Tigers' youth, depth on full display in road trip to Massachusetts

While covering Missouri's matchup against UMass in Amherst, I had the sidebar story following its blowout win. With several defensive starters sidelined due to injury, I focused on the new players stepping into the spotlight. This article highlights the younger talent on Missouri's defense and the impact those players had in a game where the result was never in doubt.

Columbia Missourian • 09/05/2024

No. 9 Mizzou aims to avoid Week 2 letdown vs. Ogbonna, Buffalo

In this game preview, I analyzed the upcoming matchup between Missouri and Buffalo, focusing on Buffalo quarterback C.J. Ogbonna's return to Faurot Field and the challenge he posed for Missouri’s defense. I also explored Buffalo’s revamped coaching staff, led by head coach Pete Lembo, and highlighted key players to watch on both teams.

Columbia Missourian • 09/21/2024

Craig, after shaky day, saves Mizzou with field goal in second OT

This piece provides a comprehensive roundup of key storylines from Missouri's close win against Vanderbilt. While my colleagues focused on in-depth analyses of the team's offensive and defensive performances, I explored a broader range of topics, offering additional insight into various aspects of the game.

Columbia Missourian • 08/13/2024

St. Louis-to-Mizzou pipeline dissected, team captains announced for Tigers

During the offseason and fall camp, I wrote a series of dailies that summarized the highlights from Missouri practices and press conferences. I often aimed to incorporate mini-features within these daily stories. For instance, in this particular day-turn story, I focused on the St. Louis recruits on the team, as each player I interviewed that day was from St. Louis.

Columbia Missourian • 03/22/2024

Peat, Schrader stand out at Mizzou pro day

With scouts and coaches from all 32 NFL teams in attendance, Missouri's players gave standout performances at the pro day. In this piece, I compared their results to those from the NFL Combine and highlighted players who excelled in drills and fieldwork.

07/10/2023

Shadows and Bright Spots: Colombia's Developing Democracy

In a sea of declining democracies, there are occasional bright spots that shine apart from the rest. One of these bright spots is Colombia, a nation where democratic values are increasingly growing. Still, there are many threats to their civic space. I spent a week in Washington, D.C., researching and producing this project in collaboration with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. I was part of a team which wrote the text and designed the website for this project.

Columbia Missourian • 08/08/2023

New fire station reveals old complications

The Columbia Fire Department and Boone County Fire Protection District have a long, complicated history. After discovering through a City Council agenda that the city planned to build a fire station across the street from a county one, I began investigating why the two agencies don't work together more often. This story took two months of research and investigation.

Columbia Missourian • 07/07/2023

75 years later: Discovery of 'wonder drug' aureomycin at MU changed the world

The MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources celebrated the 75th anniversary of the discovery of aureomycin, a pioneering antibiotic. This story took me beyond my usual comfort zone, but I embraced the challenge by immersing myself in new material and experimenting with various story structures.

Columbia Missourian • 03/07/2023

Columbia faces mechanic shortage, taxpayers pay the price

The City of Columbia is currently facing a shortage of mechanics, leading to increased costs for taxpayers who are forced to outsource jobs annually. For nearly two months, I compiled data, conducted interviews and gathered essential details for this investigative piece. The process involved numerous cold calls and data requests.

Columbia Missourian • 10/16/2023

'I haven't been living': MU community affected by conflict in Israel-Hamas war

This story explores the impact of the Islam-Hamas conflict on the MU community. Throughout the process, the reporters and I consistently asked ourselves, “How can we ensure our reporting is fair and ethical?” As the editor for this story, my objective was to localize this international conflict while maintaining a neutral perspective.

Columbia Missourian • 10/30/2022

New names and numbers mark congressional, statehouse contests

During my first newsroom course, I had the opportunity to report on the redistricting process that affected Columbia. I gained valuable skills in utilizing infographic software and accessing various databases to gather information on district boundaries. This article was published by the Columbia Missourian before my time as a reporter there, marking an important milestone in my early journalistic development.

Columbia Missourian • 09/03/2023

'A fresh perspective': D'Andre Thompson advances city on diversity front

As my final article in a local government reporter role at the Missourian, I sought to apply the techniques I had acquired during my time at the publication to a final feature. To transform a typically bureaucratic subject into a more engaging narrative, I experimented with diverse structures and vivid imagery throughout this profile.