Shelbyville senior Chris Morris was one of five finalists for a competition that started with hundreds of competitors and included thousands of voters.

So the fact that Morris didn’t win the Kentucky Sports TV Casting Call wasn’t a huge disappointment.

“There were 400 to 500 of us at first,” Morris said. “The whole competition overall was a good experience.”

Voting for the contest wrapped up last Friday, and the winner, Leslie Neely, was announced on Monday. Neely is a former University of Kentucky student reporter from Richmond, Ky.

As the winner, Neely will appear on KSTV once a week for three months this fall.

“Both of the girls who competed were really good,” Morris said. “She’ll fit in really well.”

With the Casting Call over, Morris is happy to have experience in public relations, his major at WKU, and broadcasting. He had to create an audition tape and appeared on TV throughout the contest while advancing to become a finalist.

Morris said he received an email thanking him for his participation and told him there would be some upcoming competitions — possibly for a radio show — but no specifics were given.

For now, Morris said he doesn’t have many plans aside helping the Warren Central High School Boys’ soccer team, classes, finishing up his minor and graduating in May.

Morris may try to get on a Shelbyville Christian radio station, 93.3 WXLN, in the weeks before school, winter break and after graduation.  A small Kentucky sports radio station contacted Morris as well, and he’s waiting to hear from them, too.

“I want to get into something with athletics,” he said. “Anything with athletics.”