Assistant Professor Shannon Scovel (center) celebrates with recent graduates and APSE chapter co-presidents Caleb Jarreau (left) and Gabriel Jackson (right) during the College of Communication and Information Send-Off in May. Jarreau and Jackson recently finished in the top 10 of the 2025 APSE student contest.
Recent School of Journalism and Media graduates Caleb Jarreau (‘25) and Gabriel Jackson (‘25) finished top 10 in the 2025 Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) student contest.
The annual APSE student contest recognizes the top college sports journalists in the nation.
“I was so thrilled to see that Caleb and Gabe finished in the top 10,” said Shannon Scovel, assistant professor and advisor of the APSE chapter at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “This was definitely a goal for the chapter and something we talked about from the beginning, so it’s rewarding to see it come to fruition. Having two top-10 finishers in our first year is really exciting and is a good sign for the future of the chapter.”
The School of Journalism and Media launched an APSE chapter at UT during the fall 2024 semester. Jarreau and Jackson were selected as the chapter’s inaugural co-presidents.
Jarreau tied for seventh place in the APSE student contest, while Jackson finished ninth.
Each contestant submitted three pieces for judging in the contest. Jarreau’s submissions included a feature in The Daily Beacon on childhood friends’ connection to the fireworks display at Neyland Stadium, a profile on US Paralympian equestrian gold medalist Rebbeca Hart from his 2024 Paralympic Games coverage for USA TODAY; and a story he wrote for The Daily Times about Maryville College basketball player Reed Kemp.
Jackson submitted two stories from the Paralympic Games, about two-time US Paralympian high-jumper Ezra Frech and three-time US Paralympian Hunter Woodhall. He also submitted a story he wrote for Tennessee Athletics —Tennessee’s Next One Up Has Blossomed Into One Of Its Biggest Stars—about former Vols running back Dylan Sampson.
“Caleb and Gabe were also hugely influential in the success that the chapter had this year, not just because of their placement in the contest but because of their initiative and determination all year to help put our chapter on the map with all of their different events,” Scovel said.
Both Jackson and Jarreau now work as sports reporters in East Tennessee. Jackson accepted a position at the Knoxville News Sentinel and Jarreau continued working for The Daily Times.
APSE is a prestigious sports journalism organization focused on providing training and networking opportunities for professional and student sports journalists. Joining an APSE chapter allows students to network with industry professionals and submit work to the national APSE awards contest.
Scovel hopes the UT chapter continues to be competitive in APSE contests. She also hopes to take students to the annual APSE conference, which she attended this summer. For more information about the chapter, students can reach out to Scovel ([email protected]) and follow the chapter on Instagram for information on previous and upcoming events.
“UT is an ideal campus for an APSE chapter because we have such a rich sports culture here and a rising journalism program,” Scovel said. “It’s an exciting time for our chapter and CCI as a whole. We want to bring together people who have a shared love of sports media and learn together. The more, the merrier.”