Nov. 18, 2009

Katie Princiotto always knew that upon graduating she wanted to be involved in athletics, but she never imagined that her ties as a Maryland student-athlete would help her land her dream job. Only two years out of school, Katie works as the Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President of Apparel at Under Armour.

Her new job offers an interesting take on the catchy phrase, “we must protect this house”, because of the company’s close ties to Maryland Athletics. During her career as a student-athlete, Under Armour became the official outfitter of Maryland Athletics and now she is able to work everyday on product design that will directly benefit current Terrapin Athletes, allowing her to give back to her alma mater.

In 2003, Katie left her hometown of Horseheads, N.Y. to head south to the University of Maryland for the chance to compete on the women’s lacrosse team, a prestigious program that has won nine national championships. During her time at Maryland, she excelled on and off the field, completing a successful career as a three year starting attacker for the Terps and three-time All-ACC Academic Team member. Not only was she able to make an impact on the lacrosse field, but she graduated as a scholar-athlete with a Bachelor’s of Science in Communications.

While at Maryland, her involvement in the Maryland Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) helped her to develop valuable leadership skills crucial in today’s job market. When asked about what aspects of her collegiate experience were beneficial to her as she entered the job market, she listed the “dedication, time management and accountability,” she learned from balancing school and sports as the skills of most importance.

While an undergraduate, Katie was able to gain valuable job experience through a year-long internship with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). CEA’s annual Consumer Electronics Tradeshow is the largest event of its kind in the world, and allowed the former Terrapin student-athlete to further develop her marketing and communication skills. Although CEA was a great fit for Katie, she still felt the pull that many former athletes feel to stay involved in athletics and be part of a team, and fortunately, that is exactly what she found at Under Armour.

In describing her experience working for Under Armour thus far, Katie makes note of the fact that the culture of the company makes her feel that, “everyday, anything is possible,” due largely in part to its humble beginnings with Kevin Plank, former Maryland Football player, at the helm.

“There is a lot of Terp Pride at Under Armour, with former student-athletes working in all different positions and at all different levels,” comments Katie, clearly exhibiting the value of networking within the Maryland University athletic community. “All it takes is for one person to say something to the right person and the opportunity will present itself”.

From talking with Katie about her experience in her new job, it is clear that she has found a company that shares her passion for athletics, as well as a place to call home. She enjoys the competitive spirit and drive that former student-athletes bring to the job, as well as the overall commitment to athletics. Although she always saw herself as being involved in sports and possibly even coaching, it is evident that Katie’s experiences have helped lead her to a successful position in the sports industry.

Her advice to current student-athletes looking to go pro in something other than sports is to, “keep your lines of communication open”, because networking played a vital role in her job search and could very well lead another ACC student-athlete to their future career.

Although New York is where Katie calls home, she has been able to find a new home at Under Armour working in apparel and sharing her enthusiasm for athletics in a way she never imagined. Katie is proof that playing professionally is not the only way to stay involved with athletics after a college career comes to a close. She has been able to transform her commitment to sports into a job that is both exciting and rewarding, all the while, allowing her talents to benefit the very institution that helped her develop the skills to succeed in the workforce.