By Brandi Thring
University athletics often highlight scores and stats and winning streaks — but award-winning reporter and TRU alum Marty Hastings (BJour ’09) has built his career on something deeper: the heroics, heartbreak, humour and humanity behind the game.
Recently, Hastings received the Canada West Fred “Gus” Collins Media Award for the second time, one of only two repeat winners. For 16 years, Hastings has been connecting with the WolfPack at TRU and bringing tales of the ‘Pack to the broader community.
“Marty works tirelessly to tell the stories of our student-athletes,” said Cam Doherty, WolfPack manager of marketing and communications. “He’s amazing at what he does and our community is so lucky to have someone of his skill and work ethic.”
One event in particular led Doherty to nominate Hastings for the honour — his sensitive, compassionate coverage following the tragedy on Nov. 29, 2023, that took the life of WolfPack men’s volleyball player Owyn McInnis and seriously injured two of his teammates, Riley Brinnen and Owen Waterhouse.
Hastings is quick to redirect the praise.
“Credit goes to the WolfPack and people like Pat Hennelly and Curtis Atkinson and all the players who trusted me enough to talk to me,” he says, noting his respect for the family members who were interviewed. “When you’re trusted with subject matter like that, you do your best to honour those stories and I appreciate the WolfPack for trusting me over the years to tell them.”
From the early days following the crash to the team’s season opener a year later, Hastings was there telling stories of the people behind the headlines. When Brinnen found his way back onto the court as part of the Canadian men’s sitting volleyball team, Hastings was there to tell the story.
“Brinnen said sitting volleyball is mayhem, with new rules to learn, a lower net, less court space, blocked serves and teammates with varying injuries – therapeutic chaos for a lost athlete who found a home on the national squad, recently named a full-time member,” he says in the article.
Alum rewrites story in broadcast reporting 
These days, Hastings spends his time tracking down stories for news outlet CFJC Today, but he got his first bylines as a reporter in the community newspaper Kamloops This Week (KTW), where he interned before accepting a job in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He returned to Kamloops in 2010 to join KTW full time. There, he carved out a niche with his approach to sports journalism. When KTW announced its closure in October 2023, Hastings was at a crossroads. Forced to pivot, he found his way into broadcast journalism — a new medium with a learning curve, but one he’s embraced with enthusiasm.
“I think I’m learning quickly and the job I get to do is rewarding,” he says. “Now, I just want to push as far as I can go and see where this takes me.”
Now a full-time TV reporter, CBC Radio weekly contributor and Kamloops Chronicle freelancer, Hastings continues to get to the heart of things through his storytelling. Though he now covers a wide range of stories — reporting on everything from politics to hot chocolate competitions — Hastings remains rooted in the sports world. And his connection to TRU is as strong as ever.
“There’s something special about university sports. The openness of the athletes and their willingness to tell the truth. They are happy to have you there and everyone has interesting stories to tell,” he says. “I care about the people — the triumphs, the setbacks, the stories that make sports meaningful.”
