Tag Archives: Peyton Wesner

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Wesner: “I have learned and will not forget”

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Wesner: “I have learned and will not forget”

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
March 2, 2020

My contributions to Mariah’s show consisted of IHSA State Wrestling Championships coverage. I have a sense of humble pride in the content produced. The Luke Odom VO-SOT-VO had a great story — the Illini commit being a life-long fan and also set to become the first member of his family to go to college. Moreover, my package on the Braunagel brothers may be one of the best narratives I’ve told during my time at the University of Illinois.

Ultimately, these stories — not to mention a behind the scenes look at Fighting Illini wrestling commit Cody Goodman for this week’s show — set a high standard for Illini Sports Night. We covered high school commits that have never suited up for Illinois. Thus, this should set a new benchmark for everyone invested in this newscast to not settle for the stories right in front of them and, obviously, pick up a camera.

Every time I check out a camera from Richmond Studio, “my shoot” gets better. My shots are more advanced and I implement adjustments to help become more effective.

As a producer, shooting is essential. If any producer allocates all of their coverage to videographers without going to games to help, then he or she is shirking their responsibilities. For instance, last Wednesday, I went with Alvaro Martinez to a women’s basketball game to help with his first sporting event. Hence, I believe in a more “hands-on” approach.

More so, and this will be discussed more in next week’s recap, you cannot count on some underclassmen to follow through. For instance, I had two videographers not cover the contest they committed to. This should not happen. It’s a bad look to Illinois’ sports information directors (SID) to make plans for coverage and no-show. I apologized profusely to the women’s tennis SID and IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. For Illini Sports Night to grow and continue to build credibility, EVERYONE must take this seriously.

That’s because Illini Sports Night is all about beyond-the-field reporting and in-depth stories. And, I will continue to shoot as many sporting events as possible — maybe in a tag team. I’ve learned from this and will never forget. #DIY

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Wesner: Not “one and done!”

Wesner: Not “one and done!”

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
February 24, 2020

A first show is a first step. The second show is the continuation of hard work and collaboration.

With the blessing of Professor Ken Erdey, I was allowed to take a step back for the second show as my responsibilities were directly related to social media. Hence, I produced social media posts on the IHSA State Wrestling Championships (which will be featured in video content during our third and fourth shows) as well as wrote website-exclusive stories on Fighting Illini men’s basketball and men’s golf.

The opportunity to write stories on the website is something I have really enjoyed. At this point, I consider myself the “clubhouse leader” in doing so and the short write-ups keeps my print journalism skills sharp.

My coverage of high school wrestling will benefit Mariah’s newscast as well as my own. For Mariah, I will contribute a VO-SOT-VO on an Illinois commit (Luke Odom) who won a 3A state championship. Plus, I will have a PKG on the Braunagel brothers and their support of Joe Braunagel — who competed during the IHSA State Wrestling Championship.

In terms of looking ahead, I am very excited for my opportunity to produce on March 6. The newscast will be heavy on wrestling and men’s basketball. Honestly, with the wrestling room traveling to Piscataway, N.J., for the Big Ten Championships and Brad Underwood’s group competing for a regular season conference championship, I am excited to produce rich content that interests, you, the viewers. Also, keep an eye out for a new type of package. I had a great opportunity to capture footage at the high school wrestling championships and I look forward to you seeing my content. No spoilers!

That is because Illini Sports Night is all about beyond-the-field reporting and in-depth stories. I will not rest until Illini Sports Night and my first solely produced newscast represents this mantra and exceeds my personal expectations.

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Tee Time in

Aloha, Illini!

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
February 19, 2020

The men’s golf team begins a three-day tournament in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, today. Ranked No. 40 by GolfStat.com, Illinois is coming off a second-place finish at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate earlier this month.

Senior Giovanni Tadiotto shot eight strokes under par (-8) at the event, the lowest of all Fighting Illini.

“We still need a couple of guys to have the ability to jump out and shoot some low scores and really take their game to the next level,” said Head Coach Mike Small last week. “We need someone to get that edge and start leading from the front.”

This is the Fighting Illini’s second trip to Hawaii during Small‘s twenty years at the helm. Small says the beauty of the Hawaiian event is it’s an exempted tournament, meaning it does not count against the number of tournaments his team can play.

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Ayo Dosunmu 24 Point Return!

Four Game Skid Stopped by Dosunmu’s Dominance

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
February 19, 2020

The Fighting Illini’s losing skid is no more. In Ayo Dosunmu’s triumphant return from injury, the sophomore guard powered Illinois in a 62-56 upset victory over No. 9 Penn State on Tuesday. The Morgan Park High School product netted 24 points, including a running floater that supplied a two-possession lead with 16.1 seconds remaining.

“You see why we miss Ayo when we don’t have him,” said head coach Brad Underwood postgame. “He elevates his game, he makes the right play, and he was spectacular tonight. He closes games like most players of his caliber do.”

Illinois’ win is it’s second over a top ten ranked team. The first came last December against No. 5 Michigan. The Fighting Illini will receive a well-deserved respite before returning to action against Nebraska on Monday, February 24.

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Wesner: Illini Sports Night was ‘dream’ come true

Wesner: Illini Sports Night was ‘dream’ come true

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
February 17, 2020


The premiere of Illini Sports Night was the realization of a dream.

I remember discussing with Thomas Polcyn inside Richmond Studio, pondering the logistical steps of launching a weekly sports newscast. Now, over a year later, Professor Ken Erdey has made this a reality.

Although the semester is not even a month old, I have learned so much. A videographer can only get better and, through covering a variety of different sports, I believe my skills have sharpened and improved. Plus, I have enjoyed the freedom to produce post-game wrap packages. With major sporting events or popular teams (in a market), post-game hits are essential for a sports reporter, so the experience is invaluable.

Speaking of my contributions, most — if not all — footage and b-roll appearing in Illini Sports Night’s first episode was captured by me. Furthermore, I also produced the first five minutes of the newscast, which included a package about Illinois sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu and his injury (edited and voiced by me).

A courtside perspective of Illini Sports Night’s vantage point during Illinois’ battle with Michigan State on February 11, 2020.

Naturally, I feel more comfortable as our producing trio ventures into the second show. While my responsibilities will be less, I am relieved to know other talented videographers will be able to pick up the slack in covering events. For instance, Spencer Nelson was responsibility for capturing women’s gymnastics on February 14 while Tristen Kissack and Blake Landa covered women’s basketball senior day. Now, I could not stay away from checking out a camera and shooting wrestling, which was my twelfth sporting event covered since January 24.

Nevertheless, I know now our videographers are serious about bringing you, the viewers, an inside look to the talented varsity athletics on campus.

After all, Illini Sports Night is all about beyond-the-field reporting and in-depth stories. I will not rest until Illini Sports Night represents this mantra and exceeds my expectations.