College Sports Information Directors of America

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• CSC Women to Watch Feature Archive

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CSC Women to Watch
Katherine Harvath
University of Notre Dame Associate Athletic Communications Director

by Cort Street, CSC Intern

Katherine Harvath has this month’s CSC Women to Watch spotlight. Currently, she serves as the Associate Athletic Communications Director for the University of Notre Dame, a role she took on in 2022. 

While completing her bachelor’s degree in sport management from Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Harvath joined Fighting Irish Media as an intern in 2017, initiating and creating an online database of game records for volleyball and hockey during her time there. Following stops at BGSU, Northern Michigan, and Vanderbilt, Harvath found her way back to Notre Dame, where she now serves as the university’s primary contact for hockey and men’s and women’s golf.

Harvath has experience managing team social media pages, supporting and facilitating media relations, creating content, developing media guides and record books, and, most importantly, promoting and amplifying the stories of the student-athletes at each stop in her career.
 
How did you get started as a college sports communicator? What drew you to the profession?
KH: I always knew I wanted to work in sports and initially went to college for journalism. During my time at Bowling Green, I found I really enjoyed the storytelling of student-athletes and coaches and being able to work directly with a team to facilitate media. I started working in their Athletic Communications office my junior year of college and quickly found that was the path I wanted to pursue post-graduation. Being able to celebrate big moments with a program and help amplify the story of the teams I work with has been a dream come true. 

You began your career journey at Notre Dame as an intern in 2017. What led you back to the Fighting Irish and what makes that program so special?
KH: It was always a dream of mine to be Irish! My parents are alumni (dad of Notre Dame, my mom  at Saint Mary’s College) so I grew up a huge Notre Dame fan. I actually attended my first Notre Dame game at five weeks old and it was always a goal of mine to come here someday. 

I felt I grew so much as both an undergrad and post-grad intern with Notre Dame, and when the opportunity presented itself in 2022 to come back in a full-time capacity, it was a no-brainer. Notre Dame is an incredibly special place with exceptional talent, and the people here make it second to none. Everyone expects a level of excellence, from student-athletes to staff, and they push each other to be the best versions of themselves every day. I am so blessed to work each day with incredible people, both athletes and coworkers alike.

Lou Holtz has a famous quote – “Those that know Notre Dame, no explanation is necessary. Those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.” As cliche as it sounds, it’s so true.
 
What is your favorite thing about your job?
KH: My favorite part of the job is being able to build relationships with the individuals in the program – the coaches, student-athletes, and support staff - and share their stories on a larger scale. I am passionate about finding the stories of the team, pitching those stories to media outlets, and being able to highlight the accomplishments of a program through the relationships I’ve built over the course of my career.

What are some of the highlights of your time working with student-athletes and some of their achievements, on and off the field or court?
KH: There are too many moments that come to mind over the past few years that have had a profound impact on me being able to witness some of their big achievements. A few athletic highlights would have to include going to Chicago last year to see one of our student-athletes in his NHL debut weekend, promoting our women’s lacrosse team to a record-breaking season where they shattered nearly every record in program history and saw a Tewaaraton finalist, and being able to amplify our first ACC Individual champion in Notre Dame men’s golf history this past spring.

I think the moments that will stick with me forever, though, are the off-field moments, like watching our student-athletes succeed academically, land their dream jobs, connect with the community, and just be stellar individuals outside of their sport.  
 
What has been your biggest challenge in your current role with Notre Dame?
KH: I think the biggest challenge, not just at Notre Dame but anywhere in college athletics, is the hours required. Take advantage of the offseason and don’t forget to recharge. No one can excel at the highest level if you don’t prioritize somewhat of a work-life balance. Although it may seem challenging at times through the grind of the season, don’t let the hours take away your passion. 

I may be biased but I think we have the best jobs in the world… we’re paid to watch sports for a living. 

How do you keep up with and recognize all the changes that happen so quickly in social trends?
KH: I would not be able to keep up with the constantly evolving world of social media without my incredibly talented team of student interns. I have found utilizing the young minds that are plentiful on any college campus helps me stay on top of trends that I may not otherwise know of. Algorithms are different for everyone so having a small team of people to bounce ideas off of and finding what works best for your program keeps things fresh and fun. 

Also, don’t be afraid to fail. Not all trends will work for every team. Especially on TikTok, some videos you spend hours editing will garner very few views whereas a video taken at random may perform really well. It’s an ever-changing environment and you can’t evaluate success strictly on numbers. 
 
What’s your best advice to the young creatives in college athletics today?
KH: I can’t emphasize enough the importance of networking in college athletics. I would not be in the position I am today without the network I built during my undergraduate years at Bowling Green and internship at Notre Dame right out of college. It’s also never too late to start your career in college athletics. I didn’t find this profession until my second semester junior year. 

Take risks. Reach out to people in the field and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I think most people in the field would agree, we love to see young people passionate about working in this industry and want to help set the next generation of college sport communicators up for success.
 
What’s your best advice to other young female professionals who are beginning their careers in athletic communications?
KH: Never let anyone tell you that you can’t. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was during my senior year of high school. My English teacher knew I wanted to pursue a career in sports media and had had a similar dream when she was my age. She let someone get in her head and tell her that she would never be successful in sports journalism because she was a woman. That one moment shaped the trajectory of my career, because with that advice in the back of my mind, I never let anyone stop me from doing what I knew I was capable of.

Since then, I have been able to build a really strong circle filled with women in sports and have been able to lean on them when times are challenging. At Notre Dame, we are blessed to have many strong women working in athletics and I’ve been able to grow as both a person and a professional from them and their experiences. 

But never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something strictly based on your gender.

What are some of your goals, career-wise?
KH: To be honest, Notre Dame was always my dream job and I’m so lucky to be living that dream each and every day. When I was graduating college, I set two goals for myself in my career: work with Notre Dame hockey or work in the NHL/with USA Hockey.

Now, my goals are to help foster relationships with young individuals looking to pursue athletic communications/social media as a career and to continue to grow our Fighting Irish brand online through both written and digital means. I’m excited for what the future holds!
 
Rapid Fire Questions
What animal do you think best represents your personality? I’d probably say a beaver because, like athletic communicators, it’s an animal that changes its surroundings to make a habitat of its own. I think our industry requires adaptability, and we have to embrace change but be comfortable in that changing environment.

If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you win a gold medal in? Multi-tasking, ha ha. I think anyone in athletic communications would be able to get gold in that!

What’s a surprising thing on your bucket list? I love to travel, and Scandinavia is next on my list of places to go.

What trait are you most proud of in yourself? I’d like to think I’m a relatively easy-going person and not afraid of change. One thing I’ve found is that a good trait to have in this industry is the ability to adapt. Sports is a constantly changing industry and no day is ever the same as the last – but that’s what makes it exciting, right?

Favorite sport to cover? I find a love for every sport I’ve been able to cover – mostly because of the relationships I’ve been able to form during my time working with each of them –but hockey has to be number one (even though I knew nothing about the sport when I started at Bowling Green – see… never too late to start!).

Favorite hobbies outside of work? Hiking! My fiancé and I enjoy being outdoors with our dog and always try to find new hiking trails to try out in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.