By Catie Duzzny ’21

Due to the loss of sports seasons during COVID-19, the NCAA is giving athletes in winter and spring sports an extra year of eligibility to compete at the college level. Bryn Mangold ’21 is taking her extra year of eligibility to play basketball while pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Otterbein University.

“I would have gone to graduate school if the COVID-19 waiver was not a thing, but I think it’s great to go to Otterbein again after getting my undergraduate degree,” said Mangold. “Then to be able to play basketball another year while still getting an education was a great opportunity.”

Mangold graduated with bachelor’s degrees in public relations and sport management. These two fields combined her passion for sports and communications.

For Cardinals basketball, she was a two-year starter and has played in 88 career games. As a senior, she ranked second in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) in blocks, fourth in field-goal percentage, and ninth in rebounding. Otterbein tied for second in the OAC regular-season standings this past year.

Mangold had the opportunity to work in the Otterbein Athletic Department for three years with Sports Information Director Adam Prescott and Athletics Director Dawn Stewart. During her senior year she interned with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), working with social media and communications. This internship gave her the chance to explore her interests and ambitions in the sports and communications industry.

“I wanted to go to graduate school to learn more about the business side of things, because I think it’s important to know about all aspects of business, especially when you’re working with communications because you work with so many different aspects of a company,” said Mangold.

She will begin her master’s journey as a full-time student in fall 2021. She is currently a marketing intern with the company Brick House Blue, a coworking and collaborative meeting and event space in Dublin, Ohio.

After completing her MBA at Otterbein, Mangold hopes to pursue a marketing or communications career in the sports industry.

“Eventually I want to work in professional sports. I know it kind of takes a while to get there, but through (Senior Instructor of Communications) Dan Steinberg’s help I have been able to behind-the-scenes with the Blue Jackets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cincinnati Reds. Even starting out with either high school athletics or a smaller college could be a good first step for me,” said Mangold.