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- Maverick Magazine Spring 2025: Talking a Good Game
On a sunny day in September, Jackeline Gregorio ’25 watched the women’s soccer team win 3-1 in a game against Georgian Court University. After it ended, she conducted a short video interview with player Isabella Messina ’25 about defensive tactics and what the team learned from the game.
That interview became the first 鱨 Sports Network (MSN) post on Instagram under the handle @mercysportsnetwork. Since then, the student-run MSN team has created dozens of posts that highlight 鱨’s student-athletes, coaches and athletic successes. Posts are routinely getting thousands of views.
“These videos help 鱨 by promoting the athletics department and student-athletes,” said Gregorio, who is in the 鱨 Business Honors program. “They help 鱨 coaches show prospective students that the opportunities at 鱨 are endless. And they help MSN team members see if sports marketing is something they want to pursue. It’s a win-win on all sides.”
Gregorio was inspired to start MSN after attending the Conmebol Copa América semifinal over the summer. “Watching the game reignited my passion for sports,” she explained. “And it drove me to find a way to combine that passion with my love of storytelling and my business education.”
Upon returning to 鱨 for the fall semester, she mentioned launching a student-run 鱨 sports media group to Mark Chmiel, instructor in business. “She came to me with this great idea, and then she ran with it,” he said. “I gave her some guidance and connected her to leaders within 鱨, including Vice President of Athletics Matt Kilcullen Jr., who fully supports this effort. One thing Jackeline and I have worked on is how to manage a team and get younger students involved, so MSN can live on after she graduates.”
Other 鱨 leaders and staff rallied behind MSN as well. 鱨’s Assistant Athletic Director of Communications, Kyle Goodhart ’12, worked with the students to make MSN interviews look more professional, and he and Gregorio are currently talking about the possibility of producing a podcast on 鱨 athletics. 鱨 President Susan Parish connected Gregorio with an executive at ESPN, which has turned into a series of networking opportunities. “That one connection led to several career chats for me to explore sports media and marketing,” Gregorio said. “I end each conversation by asking who I should speak with next, so each conversation leads to another one.”
Gregorio praises the Business Honors program for playing a significant role in her success. “The Business Honors program molded me to become ambitious and determined,” she said. “I’ve had amazing professors, including Mark Chmiel, who saw my potential and mentored me. His lessons and insights on the technical side of business helped me set and meet goals for our views and engagement on Instagram. Having a support system like that really pushed me to where I am today.”
MSN makes sure that at least a couple of team members attend every 鱨 home game. They watch the game, write up interview questions and conduct one or more video interviews, aiming to share behind-the-scenes perspectives. Later, the MSN team edits each video and writes the caption before posting on Instagram.
The work is data-driven, and the team constantly experiments with new ideas. Gregorio watches professional sports networks to get new ideas for interviewing and video editing techniques. The MSN team examines Instagram’s performance data to determine which posts perform the best. One video got almost 5,000 views, and the team thinks it is because of the variety of hashtags Luis Mejia ’25 included in the caption. That result has made them more focused on editing and perfecting the captions.
Being involved with MSN has helped team members grow their skills in many areas. “Interviewing is so out of character for me because I’m not much of a talker,” said MSN team member Nikky Ramirez ’24. “But it’s my last semester here at 鱨, so I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. I’ve learned public speaking skills and gained confidence.” Francelis Ovalles ’25, another MSN team member, says that she has learned the value of teamwork and how to manage her time.
MSN is shaping students’ career plans. Both Nikky Ramirez ’24 and Esmeralda Perez ’25 report that their work with MSN has solidified their plans to pursue careers in marketing. “I found my niche throughout this experience with MSN,” said Perez.
Gregorio has also discovered her new career path. “I want to make a global impact,” she said. “And I think I can make that impact in storytelling for sports. MSN was the spark.”
