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Previous Women to Watch Features: January: Natalie Davis, Co-Lin | December: Sammi Wellman, California Baptist | November: Jenna Willhoit, Dayton
WoSIDA Women to Watch: February 2018
Jill Guise, Assistant Director Athletics Communications
Johns Hopkins University
by Lisa Champagne, Assistant Director for Media Relations – NESCAC
How many sports information professionals do you know who began their career after graduation as an archaeologist?
Jill Guise of Johns Hopkins University is one such SID. She earned an undergraduate degree in anthropology from South Carolina, but wasn’t really “digging” her work.
She had always enjoyed sports as an athlete in high school and didn’t know it at the time, but was a budding SID as a team manager for a couple of boys teams. She made the decision to put down the archaeology tools, earn a master’s degree at NC State, and pursue a career in sports.
Following graduation from NC State, where she worked as a student assistant in the Wolfpack SID office, she became the Associate Director of Sports Information at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. After nearly three years with the Saints, she became the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Over the last 12 years, she has been responsible for 11 of the Blue Jays’ 24 sports.
Guise is well respected in the industry and has worked several NCAA Championship events, been a member of the game day staff for the Baltimore Ravens during three seasons, and helps the basketball stat crew staffs at both Loyola (MD) and Towson.
To make things even more interesting, Guise is married to York (Pa.) College Director of Athletic Communications Scott Guise. They reside in Red Lion, Pennsylvania with their children, Carly (17) and Shane (14).
Since 2008, Guise has served as the ECAC-SIDA Secretary and she and her husband hosted the 2016 ECAC-SIDA Workshop in Lancaster, Pa.
Jill Guise (left) with a student-athlete.
What got you into sports information/how did you get started?
It’s a long story! I was working as a contract archaeologist in Raleigh, North Carolina and was not enjoying my work (I have a bachelor’s degree in anthropology). I decided to switch careers and wanted to get involved in sports somehow. I had played soccer in high school and was the manager for the boys soccer and basketball teams – I did the scorebook and then called the local papers with the scores afterwards. So I started looking at going back to school to get my master’s in sport management at NC State. I grew up in Raleigh and each of my three brothers attended NC State. One day, my grandfather was playing in his golf league while wearing an NC State hat. One of the organizers, who had been an SID at NC State, saw the hat and they started chatting. My grandfather explained I was going to graduate school there and wanted to work in sports. He (I wish I could remember his name, because I owe my start in the business to him!) told my grandfather he may be able to get me a job while I was in school and asked for my contact information. We spoke later that week and he then recommended me to Bruce Winkworth, the Assistant SID at NC State. I interviewed with Bruce shortly after and he hired me as a student assistant. I worked in the NC State Media Relations Office for two years and in my second year, I was the main contact for the women’s soccer team.
What is the best part of the profession?
Getting to watch sports every day! And also working with some amazing and talented students, both on and off the court/field.
You are married to an SID, live in Pennsylvania and work in Baltimore, how do you make that work?
I have a very understanding boss and family! Living an hour away (at best) from work with the long and late hours is not always easy. Thankfully, I’m able to come in a little later to avoid the crazy rush hour in Baltimore. Also, with all the technology we have now, it’s very easy for me to be able to work at home.
Who are some mentors that you learned from and what are some of the lessons they taught you?
Annabelle Myers (Assistant AD/Communications at NC State). Annabelle was my boss when I was a student assistant at NC State and she was the main contact for both football and men’s basketball. To have a woman in that role was rare then and to have her as my boss and mentor, especially as I was just getting into the business, was inspiring.
What do you do to balance work/personal life?
Being married to an SID is very helpful in that Scott really understands the demands of this job. No one understands more than Scott when I have to miss a family event or one of Shane’s games because I have to work. Ernie Larossa (my boss) is a father of three kids who are very active in sports, and is also very understanding when I need to leave early because Shane has a game.
What is your most memorable event/moment from your SID career?
This is a hard one because I have a couple. My second year at St. Lawrence, the women’s ice hockey tournament had expanded to eight teams and we had to go on the road in the quarterfinals to play Minnesota-Duluth. We ended up winning 3-2 in overtime on a breakaway.
Being on the field in 2007 when the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team beat Duke to win the NCAA Championship.
Spending more than a week with the baseball team in Wisconsin for the 2008 NCAA Championship. We had a great run to the championship series, losing in the second game on a walk-off walk. The baseball team is not one of “my teams,” but I went to assist our intern and it turned out to be one of the most memorable weeks in my career.
Traveling to the NCAA Swimming Championships in 2014 and watching the women’s team win seven championships (all five relays and two individuals). This one is right up there with the 2008 baseball championship, what an amazing week.
Lastly, getting to tell one of our men’s basketball players that he was going to receive the 2015 Jostens Trophy which is given to the best male and female basketball student-athletes in Division III. We had just lost a heartbreaker in the NCAA Sweet 16 and his career was over, so to be able to put a smile on his face was very rewarding.
What are the characteristics of a good SID?
Hardworking, resourceful, creative, personable.
Jill Guise in the Johns Hopkins press box.
Why do you enjoy working at Johns Hopkins?
There are a lot of reasons I love working at Johns Hopkins. I have a great boss, who is supportive, understanding and encouraging. We have great coaches and administrators, and it really is a family atmosphere here. We also have incredible student-athletes. I’m constantly amazed at what they are able to accomplish in and out of the classroom. And, having successful teams helps as well!
How do you decompress after a stressful event/week/season?
Cooking, baking or running!
What do you hope your student-athletes remember most about you?
I hope they remember me as someone who cared about them, not just as an athlete, but as a student and a person.
Most memorable/well known student-athlete you’ve worked with?
I would say it’s a tie between Ana Bogdanovski and George Bugarinovic. Ana, a swimmer, graduated in 2015 after winning 10 NCAA titles and was twice named the CoSIDA Academic All-America® of the Year (At-Large). She went on to swim in the Olympics for Macedonia in Rio and carried her country’s flag during the opening ceremony. She is currently in med school at Rutgers. George played basketball and also graduated in 2015. He won the Jostens Trophy, was an Academic All-America® and NCAA Postgraduate Scholar. He is currently in med school at Harvard and won the NCAA’s Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship this past year. They are two of my favorite student-athletes in my 17 years – they were great students, great athletes and are even better people.