Taking first place in both Critical Review and Sports Column, the members of The Houstonian traveled to Dallas and claimed a total of 13 awards in the 100th annual Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) convention last weekend.

In the on-site competition, which gives students an assignment they must complete in one hour, columnist and business manager Bradley Basker finished in first place for his movie review of “Sunshine Cleaning” while contributing writer Josh Darnell earned gold for his column about athletes and Facebook.

Sports editor Kristina Salazar earned an honorable mention for her front page design and sports reporter Lotis Butchko picked up an honorable mention for his story about the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington.

In previously submitted work, which included designs, articles and photos from 2008, ten awards were given to The Houstonian, including a second place finish for Jessica Hamilton in news feature writing and third place finishes for Jenny Swenson in feature page design and Rachael Gleason in headline writing.

As a staff, The Houstonian earned a third-place finish for their student-produced website, www.houstonianonline.com as well as an honorable mention in editorial writing.

Overall, The Houstonian earned a tenth place finish for Sam Houston State University in Division II with Tarrant County Community College district taking first place, followed by UT-Tyler in second and Texas State in third. UT-El Paso came in at fourth.