A group of 11 Baldwin Wallace students traveled to Phoenix to work at the Women's Final Four from April 2-6.
Led by sport management professor Dr. Charles Campisi, the students assisted with media operations, including ticketing during dining hours, providing security for media personnel and running microphones at press conferences.
Throughout the weekend, students supported media operations according to their assigned roles. They also had the opportunity to watch games, attend open practices, and participate in pre- and post-game press conferences. Their work began on Thursday and continued through Monday.
Addison Weimer, a junior from Dayton, Ohio, has always been a huge fan of women's basketball. "I told Professor Campisi after the first day, this is probably the best day of my life," Weimer said. "Seeing how tall they were in person was crazy as well."
More importantly than seeing her favorite basketball players, the trip inspired Weimer to consider pursuing a career in media operations down the road. Weimer said she had a lot of fun being a mic holder and did not realize it could be a viable career. "I never realized how many people it took to host an event like that," Weimer said. "There was just tons of people everywhere making it all run smoothly."
Seeing the action up close and personal
Junior Jessica Wolanin of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, was one of the mic runners for press conferences. Wolanin regretted not going to the Final Four in 2024 and wanted a chance to see some of the biggest stars play on the big stage. Baldwin Wallace gave her a chance to pursue an opportunity not everyone has.
During her long weekend, she was around UCLA's basketball team, which won the tournament. Wolanin also plays basketball for BW and shared that she was not only impressed by how close-knit UCLA's team was both on and off the court, but also by how those characteristics can be incorporated into Baldwin Wallace's women's basketball team.
"I think a big thing I learned was ... just from what [the players] said, and from what their coaches say, is they know when to have fun and then when they can kind of goof around and just enjoy each other and then when it's time to get serious and get to work."
The trip to Arizona was not only just work, but fun as well. Other activities throughout the long weekend included taking a hike to Echo Canyon Trail, watching an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game, seeing the All-American Rejects in concert and enjoying In-N-Out Burger.
Opportunities to find a career path
The trip to the Women's Final Four is just one example of how Baldwin Wallace gives students hands-on experience beyond the classroom. Since the start of the year, BW sport management students have also worked the Super Bowl, NASCAR's Daytona 500 and The Masters golf championship.
Experiences like these give students a chance to see what a career in the sports world truly entails. Whether they gain a deeper appreciation of the behind-the-scenes operations, a revelation of a potential career change or simply enjoy the game, Baldwin Wallace continues to put students in the spots to chase their dreams and receive valuable experience in the biggest stages in the sports world.
Content for this story originally appeared in The Exponent, BW's student newspaper. This edited version is used here with permission.
