Aaryan Rathod

A student-athlete’s marketing play draws fans to the stands

Katarina Benson — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:26:00 +0000

A student-athlete’s marketing play draws fans to the stands Katarina Benson Fri, 04/03/2026 - 11:26

For 911�� baseball player Evan Blanchard, success isn’t just measured in hits and RBIs. During his internship with Mason Athletics’ marketing department, the third baseman helped design a promotional campaign that brought hundreds of fans—and a surge in attendance—to a men’s basketball rivalry game.

Evan Blachard in his Patriots uniform. Photo by Rafael Suanes/911�� Athletics

As a senior majoring in sport management, Blanchard needed to complete an internship of at least 400 hours to meet his degree requirements. His interest in sports marketing began with Lily Plizga, associate director of fan engagement and brand strategy in 911�� Athletics. As a student-athlete, Blanchard saw Plizga working tirelessly during games and knew how strong the department was. After a discussion with Plizga, Blanchard decided to fulfill his internship requirement by working with 911�� Athletics’ marketing department.

“The biggest thing is how fast-paced sports environments are," said Blanchard of his internship experience. “You need to be able to handle multiple roles, communicate effectively, and stay organized.”

Some of his core responsibilities included devising marketing plans, which included creating promotional themes, brainstorming giveaway ideas, and emphasizing social media strategy while ensuring all the marketing materials resonated with the different stakeholders, including students, fans, alumni, sponsors, and donors.

On gamedays, Blanchard was responsible for gathering and distributing promotional items, along with running in-game collateral, such as sponsored student competitions and T-shirt tosses.

His internship also required that he manage a special project. Blanchard decided to do a promotion for the men’s basketball program, with the purpose of boosting attendance by 5% at the big in-state rivalry game between 911�� and James Madison University (JMU) scheduled to take place during Thanksgiving break.

The plans involved collaborating with 911�� baseball alumni Danny Hosley and South Trimble, who are currently Savannah Bananas players. The idea was to have Hosley and Trimble participate in a pre-game autograph session, halftime entertainment, and timeout competitions.

Blanchard at a 911�� men's basketball game. Photo by Art Pittman/911�� Athletics

Aside from getting people to the game, the goal was to attract a new audience, especially baseball fans, while also cross-promoting men’s basketball and baseball. Since most 911�� students were home for the break, the target audience for this promotion also included kids and families in the area.

Blanchard began preparing at the start of the fall 2025 semester, with weekly goals to keep on track. This included reaching out to both Hosley and Trimble and coordinating with the Masonettes, marketing staff, and the department leadership. He also contacted various baseball and softball clubs to coordinate group sales and designed autograph cards for fans, along with additional promotional graphics for the event.

"As an intern, you have value, but you still have to prove yourself," he said. “Preparation was key, and I made sure everything was well planned and gathered feedback from everyone involved."

On the big day, both the marketing department and Blanchard were eager to see whether their planning was successful. The results speak for themselves:

61.1% attendance increase since the last time 911�� played a home game over the Thanksgiving recess
1,499 attendees above the 2023-24 yearly attendance average (39.8%)
19.7% attendance increase since last home game versus JMU

More than 400 fans came through the meet and greet line with trading cards, mini-bats, baseballs, jerseys, and banana hats, eager to meet Hosley and Trimble.

Plizga described Blanchard as one of the best interns she has ever had, with praise for his professionalism and reliability. Early on in his internship, Blanchard stepped in to help when 911�� Athletics decided to participate in Fairfax’s annual Fall Festival within the week of the event. There wasn’t a lot of turnaround time to get staff participation in the day-long event. Blanchard helped Plizga set up and then tear down at the festival. Then they headed back to the campus to work at a 6 p.m. soccer game.

Plizga also appreciated Blanchard’s positive attitude and demeanor. “Sometimes tensions can get high, but Evan’s positive attitude made the workplace a lot better. Everyone loved working with him, and he definitely boosted the mood throughout the day,” she said.

In addition to learning how to operate various technologies, such as the Daktronics videoboard used to promote events, Blanchard said understanding the importance of workplace culture, teamwork, and professionalism, and knowing how to effectively contribute to an organization were also important lessons.

His advice to students seeking internships is to develop good relationships with your professors and to always be on the lookout for opportunities they share.

To those wishing to pursue sport marketing, Blanchard said, “You have to be able to put yourself in uncomfortable situations that involve communicating with people, bringing up new ideas, and just trying out new things. You also have to be able to wear multiple hats at once, while ensuring that you stay organized by having a plan.

Learn more about Internships at 911��

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Students

The Bestick twins reflect on their time as student-athletes at 911��

Katarina Benson — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:30:56 +0000

The Bestick twins reflect on their time as student-athletes at 911�� Katarina Benson Fri, 03/27/2026 - 13:30

Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. In the case of 911�� lacrosse twins Kaitlyn and Regan Bestick, that road has split and come back together several times. Now, as the Fredericksburg, Virginia, natives and Honors College students compete in their final season together and prepare to separate again, they reflect on their time in the Mason Nation.

Regan has been a goalkeeper for the Patriots women’s lacrosse team for the past three years after transferring from Saint Joseph’s after her freshman season. She’s started every game this season and has recorded 96 saves. Kaitlyn has played all four years at 911�� and is currently second on the team in goals scored with 26. Both of them have created a positive impact on the team, which isn’t surprising considering the number of athletes in their family.

Regan and Kaitlyn Bestick. Photo by Mason Athletics

Sports and lacrosse have played an integral role in the lives of the Bestick twins. The product of two collegiate athletes—their mom was an All-American lacrosse player at James Madison, and their dad played baseball at William & Mary—they said televised sports were a big part of their household growing up.

Because we’re a sports family, we just watch a lot of games,” said Kaitlyn. “Our roommates will tell you the same thing: We always have some form of sports on.”

From childhood, their parents instilled a sense of competitiveness among the siblings, and they said they will always be grateful for that. “Our parents really prioritized us not only competing at the highest level but also getting the best education possible. And they instilled in us that work ethic to be able to succeed both academically and athletically,” said Regan.

The close bond between the sisters helps them give each other constructive feedback that translates into better performances. “Being in opposite positions really helps. When we're training in the off season, it helps to have someone who can shoot on me and tell me what I'm doing wrong, or what I'm giving up, and vice versa," said Regan. “It really helps to have that second pair of eyes. Inherently, I feel like we make each other better every day."

Despite spending their first years apart, they still collided on the field during that first season. On March 11, 2023, Regan made her debut for Saint Joseph's, against her twin sister, who was starting for 911��. Regan recalls feeling overwhelmed with emotion, as it was the first time she competed against her sister. However, when Regan came on, she knew that she had to focus on giving her best performance and ensuring the victory. The Hawks came away with the win, and Regan contributed to the clean sheet.

The sisters grew up playing together. Photo by Mason Athletics

Kaitlyn played a key role in bringing Regan to Mason. Kara, the head coach for the women’s lacrosse team, saw the sisters play at the club level in high school and was impressed by their skills and tenacity.

"I was definitely a big part of (Regan’s) recruiting process coming to Mason,” said Kaitlyn. “We wanted her from day one. And (Coach) Mupo was adamant about getting an inside scoop about her process, because she's a very talented player.”

“I knew that Kara was an amazing coach,” said Regan. “(George) Mason was in my top two schools my first time around recruiting as a high schooler. I knew that it was a place that I really liked and really enjoyed the coaching style and coaching aspects that Kara brings to the table.”

Regan also liked the idea of being closer to home. “I really enjoyed the fact that my parents got to come to every one of Kaitlyn's games,” she said, noting that they couldn’t always make it to Philadelphia for hers.

Regan brought valuable experience to 911��. “Her being here just makes us so much better on all facets,” said Kaitlyn. “Not only does she lock down her cage on the field, but she's also a great role model for our underclassmen. She's added so much value to our team.”

Aside from being among the top scorers, Kaitlyn also has additional leadership responsibilities as she is the president of the Student Athletes Advisory Council (SAAC) and serves as the voice for student-athletes.

Both sisters also have set out clear career paths. Regan has known since high school that she wanted to become a veterinarian. Majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry, she is already a certified veterinary assistant. After graduation, she’ll begin her four-year journey in veterinary school.

Kaitlyn, who completed her bachelor’s in government and international politics last year, is currently working on her master's in political science through the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Masters (BAM) Program at 911��. She will be attending law school in the fall.

Kaitlyn was introduced to law at a young age by her dad, who is a police officer for Fairfax County. “I came into Mason knowing I wanted to be an attorney. But personally, I want to do more civil or government work,” said Kaitlyn. "I'm also interested in sports law. I don't really want to be in a courtroom too much, but rather more behind the scenes."

She interned last summer with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and worked with their procurement division.

Both are really excited about their graduate studies. "This will be the first time we're only students—not student-athletes, so I don't know how we're going to handle just having schoolwork to do and no practice or anything taking up half our day," said Kaitlyn.

This also means that the sisters will once again be away from each other, but they have already prepared for this situation.

"We talk way too much, so obviously there will be a lot of FaceTime calls and texts," said Kaitlyn.