Assistant Professor Shannon Scovel and her father attending the 2022 Division I Wrestling Championships.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe announcer requested anyone who competed in a tournament before to stand and be recognized. Her dad stood up. Then, he asked for those who have earned All-American honors at the event to remain standing. Her dad was still proudly standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat moment is one I’ll always remember,\u201d Scovel said. \u201cThat All-American honor that he earned in 1987 still carries so much weight. I think it’s been really cool for him to be able to connect with the sport again and see so many guys from his time in college, both guys from Maryland and just guys who wrestled in that late 80’s era.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, Scovel has another wrestling-related moment to share with her father as she was recently named the National Wrestling Media Association\u2019s Journalist of the Year for the 2022-23 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe coolest part about winning this award has been hearing how excited my dad is about it,\u201d Scovel said. \u201cHe’s been with me at these national tournaments and seen the work that I’ve put in. He’s also seen some of the struggles and the harsh comments I’ve had online, especially in the early years, so he knows how much I put into this sport and how hard it’s been. I think it really means a lot to him to see the wrestling community rally around me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to being a part of the School of Journalism and Media faculty, Scovel works as a college wrestling freelance reporter for NCAA.com. Her byline has also appeared in Sports Illustrated<\/em>, Yahoo Sports, and USA Today<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nScovel started covering college wrestling as a sophomore at American University. She was the sports editor of the student newspaper and a varsity swimmer for AU at that time. She saw Olympic sports like wrestling and swimming as having great stories to share but weren\u2019t getting a ton of publicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she decided to reach out to the wrestling coach with an interest in telling these athletes\u2019 stories. This led to a strong professional relationship and started her foray into covering the sport professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know this is going to sound cliche, but I love covering wrestling because I love telling interesting stories,\u201d Scovel said. \u201cThese athletes are so driven, so determined, and so talented, and it’s a privilege to cover them during their collegiate careers. Wrestling media is also a unique space, and it’s been cool to meet so many people who are passionate about the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her family connection to the sport has also made covering wrestling fulfilling. In addition to a picture of her dad\u2019s All-American finish hanging in his office, Scovel said there was even a blue wrestling mat in the family bonus room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, despite this connection, neither she nor her father could have predicted that wrestling journalism would become such a big part of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scovel said another highlight of covering wrestling these past few years was seeing the growth of women\u2019s wrestling and its coverage. Scovel said these past few years her network of other female wrestling journalists have grown and every year at nationals she has connected with them over shared struggles and experiences. She is excited to see more opportunities for women in the sport and to cover more women\u2019s wrestling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the things that makes the award this year so special is that I was honored alongside two other women,\u201d Scovel said. \u201cBefore 2023, only one other woman had won ‘journalist of the year,’ so this feels like an important year for women in wrestling where women won ‘journalist of the year,’ ‘Sports Information Director (SID) of the year’ and ‘photographer of the year.’ I hope we’re helping others see that the sport can be a more inclusive place for all.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Assistant Professor Shannon Scovel and her father attended the 2017 NCAA wrestling championships, it was a special moment both personally and professionally for the wrestling beat journalist. After covering the early sessions for American University, Scovel joined her father in the stands. It had been thirty years since her father, who competed in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":283,"featured_media":67720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,20,8,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-news","category-featured-story","category-news","category-school-of-journalism-media"],"yoast_head":"\n
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