By Greg Grisolano

ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Tyler Swezey has fond memories of Roaring River State Park.

“I’ve been going to Roaring River since I was a little kid,” said Swezey, 21, of Drexel, Mo. “I’ve spent a lot of the best times of my life there, just fishing and hanging out with friends and family.”

Swezey, a senior in communications at Pittsburg State University, said those memories inspired him and a friend, Anthony Monteleone, 22, when it came to crafting a documentary film for one of their broadcasting classes.

Their film, “Everyone Lives Downstream,” garnered a first-place award from Collegiate Broadcasters Inc., a national organization that recognizes student achievement in media, during the group’s national convention last month in Kansas City, Mo.

“Coming up to the moment, I was a little nervous,” Swezey said. “But hearing my name was really rewarding. I was just like, ‘Wow!’”

The documentary explores the concerns of some anglers and neighbors of the Cassville, Mo., state park who have filed a legal challenge against a concentrated animal feeding operation located just a mile from the park entrance. The CAFO houses about 65,600 chickens.

“I think they did a heck of a job,” said Jim Riedel, president of the Roaring River Parks Alliance and one of those featured in the film. “When they called me and asked me to do an interview, I just about didn’t do it. I had no idea how good it was going to be.”

For Troy Comeau, director of PSU’s broadcasting department, the win cements Pittsburg State’s reputation as one of the nation’s leading institutions for young broadcasters.

“I think over the past five years or so, our broadcast program has been nationally known,” he said. “So it’s nice to be recognized as top in the nation. I’m very proud of Tyler and Anthony.”

Comeau said the department has been nominated for at least six other finalist awards from the national group, but this is the department’s first win.

The competition is open to any college or university and does not take into account enrollment or other factors.

“Ithaca College in New York is usually our biggest competition,” Comeau said. “But their tuition is outrageous, so they have a lot of nice equipment. For our students to be able to compete really says a lot about what our students can do here.”