Behind each fascinating finishingevery record performance and each moment From Triumph in Virginia Athletics, there is a team of dedicated professionals who work to highlight and share these stories. From the capture of moments defining the game through an objective in the training of written stories, a group of talented and determined women proves that gender is not an obstacle to the success of sports journalism.
In all areas, women live various roles in sports journalism. Whether as a writer, manager, photographer or publisher, women are an integral part of the formatting of Virginia Sports Media.
Among them, Melissa Dudek and Jen Dietrich, the two sports information directors for Virginia Athletics. SMSNs provide information throughout the full season of their team and is a crucial but often underestimated part of Virginia Athletics. Their work goes beyond scores and statistics, giving life to the experiences, challenges and victories of student-athletes.
Dudek, an experienced SID, has seen the industry has evolved in the first hand over the years. When she entered the field for the first time, women in the sports media were rare. In fact, herself was part of the history of sports media at the start of her career by working in minor leagues baseball. As Deputy Director General for a subsidiary of the Minor League of Colorado Rockies – one of the first in all the minor baseball leagues – she was able to promote her career in a creative way.
“I got involved as a color commentator for radio,” said Dudek. “I was the third woman to call a match.”
While Dudek’s journey soaring in the minor leagues baseball, Dietrich started in class. This trip is the result of a boost of his first -year creative writing teacher, who noticed that Dietrich, who was a runner in Auburn, centered many of his missions around sports. A suggestion was everything it took to send her a new path, leading her through internships in media in the media in Auburn and Villanova before arriving in Virginia a little over a year ago, where she is now working mainly with athletics, cross-country and field hockey.
For Dudek, telling the story of an athlete means capturing not only their performances but also their personalities. Whether it is to highlight a historic championship race, such as the title of the 2015 College World Series for the Baseball Program, or to organize interviews for players’ features, it works hard to fill the gap between the teams and the public.
The excitement of live sports never fades for those who cover it, and Dietrich remembers when she knew she had chosen the right career. It was during the victory of the ACC championship of the male athletics team in 2024, a competition that fell to the final relay.
“To cover this and not only be there for this success, but knowing all the hard work and everything that has entered the role of the support staff, I think it’s really cool,” said Dietrich. “I was once in their position, I remember aligned, the descending competition (the 4×400 meter event), and all the people who were there to support me, so it’s cool to be on support staff.”
Thanks to a different objective, the third year student Grace Landini, a photographer student for Virginia Athletics, also plays a pivotal role.
While the sports media, for Dudek and Dietrich, is to tell broader stories, for Landini, the narration occurs in fraction of a second. Originally a student photographer for the Daily rider in the spring of 2023, she first took a camera at the Male Basketball 2023 ACC tournament, and from that moment, she was hung.
“It made me more aware of the emotion behind (playing at a level D1),” said Landini. “It is certainly something that we are looking for that I do not necessarily (otherwise) pay attention.”
The pleasure of capturing raw emotions on the ground led him to continue sporting photography more seriously – something that turned out to be difficult. Determined to gain experience, she sent an email to Virginia Athletics several times, sending three new sets of photos until she finally obtained an answer.
Now a regular presence on the sidelines while working in close collaboration with the Softball team, Landini had the chance to learn from high -level photography professionals such as Matt Riley, Jamie Holt and Olivia McLucas. Although she knows the rarity of seeing female photographers in sport, she found a support network through these mentors as well as her peers by Virginia Athletics.
“I am very aware of the limit of female representation (in sports photography),” said Landini. “But I think that because I have this support, I do not necessarily feel limited in what I can do.”
Despite the challenges of working in a space dominated by men, the three women agree that things change. More and more women are entering the industry and their presence reshapes the landscape of the sports media.
For Dudek, Dietrich and Landini, the work is not only to cover the games – it is a question of preserving the stories of Virginia Athletics for the generations to come. Whether it is a perfectly framed photograph, a well -designed press release or an in -depth characteristic, they ensure that the athletes they cover are seen, heard and recalled.
The stories of these talented women bear witness to the presence and the growing impact of women in the sports media and an inspiration for the next generation of budding professionals.
“(For women interested in sports media), I would say that I would not be discouraged and do not give up,” said Dietrich. “Find and know people from your corner and don’t be afraid to rely on them … You can do difficult things, so believe in you.”