Over spring break I had the opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament and represent the Northern Iowan and the Odyssey Online on press row. I began playing with the idea after going to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with the Panther Pep Crew.

Talking with a head editor at the Odyssey, as well as Colin Mcdonough, assistant A.D. of Athletics Communications, I was put on the right track to apply for media credentials to officially represent the Northern Iowan and Odyssey.

In preparation to send in credentials, I immediately went to work building a better foundation of sports articles connected to my name so if the NCAA googled me they’d see my sports articles.

This drove me to get in touch with UNI basketball alums Seth Tuttle and — the legend — Ali Farokhmanesh, as well as land a second interview with members of the current team. Everyone was very cooperative and willing to help.

Within a week my Odyssey articles about the basketball and the men’s team exploded from two to seven, including features on “the UNI Alum of March Madness” (Tuttle and Farokhmanesh).

Since I had experienced all UNI games solely from the Pep Crew perspective, this was completely new to me. Of course, I had interviewed most of team for Odyssey stories, but those were casual and after practice interviews. This was the big leagues.

I’m pretty sure I was the youngest one there, a freshly turned 21-year-old among recent college grads and media veterans. And I was probably one of the unique ones there, walking in with flower crown on my head. Of course, that got a lot of questions from the other media personnel as well as the people that were Chesapeake Energy Arena workers, and I didn’t mind.

Having NCAA media credentials opened my eyes to everything that goes on on the media side.

The media area was stocked with crisp media guides, conference guides, brackets, game summaries, play-by-plays, programs, and press conference quotes. It was any reporter’s dream. Plus, there was food.

I came home with a solid stack of paper solely from the UNI games with stats, game books, conference yearbooks and the like.

With floor access, this was the closest I had ever sat at a UNI game. It was even closer than standing in front row with bibs and flower crown on. And no one was blocking my view of the court.

For the UNI vs. Texas game, I was seated on press row with Panther fans behind me and the Panther bench before me. And, though I wasn’t supposed to cheer, there was a woman behind me who cheered loud enough that I felt like she was cheering on my behalf.

It was difficult for me to not revert into natural Pep Crew mode and stay relatively quiet during the game. Of course, that all went to hell when Paul Jesperson made the game winning shot. I openly screamed on press row and almost jumped out of my seat.

For the UNI vs. Texas A&M game, I had a better idea of what I was doing. I was more composed, which may or may not have been because of the fact that I had been seated right behind the TV commentators (and was on TV).

When I did get the urge to cheer or comment on something, I took to Twitter. But just because I was on press row didn’t mean I didn’t feel all the emotions a UNI game invokes.

It was almost worse, those feelings of intensity, anxiety, belief, because the fans weren’t directly around me to share it, I was on my own and I had to stay composed.

Aside from the floor access, I had access to the press conferences and locker room interviews. Though I didn’t conduct any locker room interviews, I attended both conferences.

Friday’s conference was filled with joy and disbelief and assurance. It was almost like Coach Jacobson, Paul Jesperson, Wes Washpun and Jeremy Morgan were simply glowing. They had made the miracle shot, they were dancing another day.

Sunday’s, on the other hand, was filled with sadness and it was very difficult to watch Coach Jacobson, Jesperson, Matt Bohannon and Washpun on Sunday. The entire team, staff and players, had worked so hard, and now it was over, and you could tell they were brokenhearted. My heart broke for them.

Even so, in both conferences, the men handled themselves with dignity and grace. They set a wonderful example in joy and in sadness.

This was probably the biggest opportunity of my life and I enjoyed every minute of it. But it wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the basketball team making it into the NCAA Tournament in the first place, the editors at the Odyssey and my friends encouraging me to apply for credentials in the first place (and encouraging me through my anxiety moments when I doubted myself).

Honestly, I cried some tears of joy when I got the call that I had gotten credentials, because I knew this would be a huge opportunity for me, for the Northern Iowan, and for the Odyssey. And I couldn’t be more grateful to have had this chance.

They talk about “One Shining Moment” during tournament season. Ali Farokhmanesh had his one shining moment. So did Seth Tuttle and Paul Jesperson and other UNI basketball players.

I could say that I’ve been blessed to have my own “one shining moment” as a college student with NCAA credentials, covering the men of the UNI basketball team’s shining moments.

My experience was definitely different than the experiences the other press people had. I felt that, as a student that attends the University of Northern Iowa — and sees the team on campus, that goes to games with the Pep Crew, that covers things for the student paper — I was impacted more by the emotions of the team and the fans, instead of being stoic, simply performing a job.

Overall this semester I have been impacted by UNI Athletics, through my internship with the football team and cheering for athletics with the Pep Crew, but I could feel it the most down in Oklahoma City in the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

It made me proud to wear purple and gold, to be a Panther and to go to the University of Nothing Impossible (UNI).