July 1, 2010

ST. LOUIS - Scott Vicker, a senior on Saint Louis University's cross country and track and field squads, recently received a scholarship from The Press Club of Metropolitan St. Louis. He was recognized as the 2010 Press Club Walter Cronkite broadcasting scholarship recipient Wednesday at an event in downtown St. Louis.

A communication major from Creston, Iowa, Vicker already has extensive experience in his field of study. For the past two summers, he has interned at WHO-HD Channel 13, the NBC affiliate in Des Moines. In addition, Vicker has served as a sports assistant at his local newspaper, the Creston News Advertiser.

In addition to the $5,000 scholarship, Vicker receives a one-year complimentary student membership in the Press Club of Metropolitan St. Louis and is invited to attend any of the club's activities.

"When I was a little kid I used to play baseball in the backyard and announce the game, so ever since then I wanted to go into play-by-play announcing or sports reporting," Vicker said. "I have done a lot of different jobs to help prepare myself for any of those fields. This scholarship will help a lot because of the different contacts I can make through the Press Club."

Following notification from the SLU communication department about the opportunity, Vicker applied for the scholarship and received a letter of recommendation from Dr. Dan Kozlowski, a professor in SLU's department of communication. Vicker also had to submit an essay about his career goals and aspirations.

As a passionate track and field fan, Vicker had one of the most memorable moments of his broadcasting career when he covered the USA Track and Field Championships for WHO-13 last week at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, giving him a chance to interview some of his track and field colleagues.

"I was fortunate enough to interview Bernard Lagat after he won the 5K," Vicker said. "That was exciting for me because I'm a distance runner as well. He was really great about it, and it was a fun interview. I also had the opportunity to interview Lola Jones after she won the hurdles, and that was a fun interview as well.

"Those were right up there among my favorite interviews," Vicker continued. "Earlier this year I had the chance to interview Kurt Warner when the Iowa Barnstormers honored him. Last summer, I met Shawn Johnson. I've had several great opportunities during my internship, and I've been very thankful for them."

Vicker has participated in cross country and track and field at SLU since his freshman year. He holds the school record in the outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase, achieving a time of 9:27.56 at the 2008 McDonnell Invitational. Additionally, Vicker ran on the record-setting distance medley relay squad that posted a time of 10:46.14 at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship during the most recent indoor season.

Saint Louis Billikens Cross Country