Every year the Associated College Press gives out awards recognizing the top achievements in journalism around the country. The competition fields many different categories of recognition, including newspaper, yearbook, magazine, online and several individual awards.

Each award is called a Pacemaker and is considered one of the most distinguished awards in college journalism.

This past month, the Creightonian was the winner of the ACP Newspaper Pacemaker award for the 2008-2009 year.

The award was for general excellence in a collegiate newspaper, judging the newspaper as a whole.

This year’s entries totaled over 200 and the Creightonian was one of 13 recipients in the Four-Year Non-Daily section.

On the ACP Web site it explains that the newspapers are critiqued on the following: coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, design, photography and art and graphics.

The winners were announced earlier this month at the National College Media Convention in Austin, Texas.

Jen Bischoff, Art & Sciences senior and co-online editor of the Creightonian, was present at the awards ceremony and had been on the staff the year before.

“It is an honor for the Creightonian staff to receive such a prestigious award and to be recognized on a national level,” she said.

“I am proud to be part of such a great staff that works tremendously hard on a daily basis.”

Molly Mullen, the current editor in chief of the paper, was the news editor last year and was also present at the ceremony.

“I know we had been finalists for the last two or three years but we had not actually won it before,” Mullen said. “I was really excited; I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to jump up and down, but I was wearing heels.”

With thousands of spectators on hand at the ceremony, Bischoff accepted the prestigious award among college journalist’s elite.

“I was really excited to show it to the staff,” Mullen said. “It just goes to show how our reporters have become more and more dedicated every year.”

Last year’s editors were Christine Galt and Ryan Borchers, as well as working with faculty advisor Carol Zuegner, who commented on the newspaper’s progress.

“I am so pleased and thrilled for the hard-working staffs of the Creightonian to receive this award,” Zuegner said.

“The Pacemaker recognizes general excellence throughout the paper, which speaks well of the collaborative effort of the weekly student newspaper.

“It’s a great recognition for the students, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and Creighton.”

For the Creightonian staff, it was a great reminder of the hard work that goes into making a college newspaper.

“Hopefully this will drive us to win another one next year,” Mullen said.