The Oklahoma professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists recognized the state's top journalists at its annual banquet Saturday night at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Tulsa. KLBC's Luke Willman won seven awards from OK-SPJ in the radio category.

Willman swept the 'Sports Reporting' category with first and second place honors. He was the only award winner in the 'Investigative Reporting' category. Willman also picked up awards in the 'General News' and 'Feature' categories and received an honorable mention for 'Best Radio Reporting Portfolio.' Journalists from three out-of-state SPJ chapters judged the more than 900 entries submitted to this year's contest.

Willman is thrilled to even be mentioned alongside the state's best journalists. "There's definitely a stigma placed on sports reporting that true sports journalists have to overcome." Willman admits. "News will always have top priority and that's the way it should be. But from time to time, the 'sports guy' gets the chance to cover a story that goes beyond entertainment value and becomes newsworthy. I am just proud that when I got the chance to tell those stories, I was up to the challenge of bringing the highest quality work to the public."

The honors come less than a month after the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters announced that Willman won five 2005 Outstanding Achievement Awards for KLBC - one production and four news and sports-related awards. That quintet of OAB Awards will be officially presented during the OAB's annual convention being held this year at the Sheridan Hotel in Oklahoma City on March 31st and April 1st.

Willman has worked at KLBC-FM and KSEO-AM in sports and production since January of 2004. He graduated from Truman State University with a degree in Communication-Journalism and is a native of Naperville, IL.