GODFREY – The Trailblazers Women’s Soccer team’s run at the 2019 NJCAA National Championship last fall wasn’t just a win for athletics – it was a unique opportunity for two radio broadcasting students who traveled with the team and broadcasted their games live on College Radio’s Best WLCA 89.9-FM.
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For listeners and fans back home, Nathan Pearcy, 22, of Bethalto, and Tanner Hendrickson, 20, of Olney, Illinois, were the voice of the tournament.
“I loved being able to play off Tanner and notice some things that might not be noticed in the game,” Pearcy said. “My favorite moment was watching our team stun many of the schools that were there.”
The Trailblazers fought their way to the semi-final round of the tournament in Melbourne, Florida, in late November before falling to the No. 1-seeded Monroe Mustangs.
“My two favorite calls during the tourney on were B’s (Boitumelo Rabale’s) late goal to tie the game against Hill, and Kara (Crutchley)’s goal off the volley that tied the game with Monroe in the semi-finals with about 20 minutes remaining,” Hendrickson said.
WLCA broadcasted most of the home games over the course of the 2019 season, as well as the entire postseason, many men’s and women’s home basketball games, and some high school hockey games.
Pearcy chose L&C for its proximity to home and affordable cost.
“The hands-on experience you get from having a real radio station on campus is the best part of Lewis and Clark’s Radio Broadcasting program,” he said. “Coordinator Mike Lemons knows the business well and has a lot of valuable connections.”
Pearcy, who will graduate in the spring, wants to become an on-air personality someday. He’s already landed a gig as a board operator, who will be engineering Cardinals baseball broadcasts on 1120 KMOX.
Hendrickson also plans to graduate in the spring and is already working as a board operator and fill-in producer at 101.1 ESPN. His dream is to one day find a play-by-play broadcasting position for a professional sports team or become the host of a sports radio show.
Hendrickson originally chose L&C to continue his tennis career, but soon switched his focus. As a Trailblazer, he found his calling in radio broadcasting.
“I have gotten to do play-by-play for four different sports, traveled to Florida to call L&C soccer, interviewed sports writers on our sports show, as well as former professional athletes such as Trent Green and Brad Thompson,” Hendrickson said. “Mike Lemons has helped me improve as a broadcaster and on-air personally by always giving me pointers. (Adjunct Instructor) Mike Rider has helped me a lot with my production work.”
To learn more about the Radio Broadcasting program, visit www.lc.edu/program/radio. To learn more about WLCA, visit http://www.wlcafm.com/. Contact Lemons at (618) 468-4940 or mlemons@lc.edu.
The college is currently enrolling for Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021. To make an appointment with an advisor, please contact (618) 468-2222 or email enroll@lc.edu.
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