Mackenzie Sullivan

Pitt Education student-athlete leverages NIL to build her brand

Exercise Science student Mackenzie Sullivan hosts a podcast and runs a YouTube channel

Mackenzie Sullivan arrived at Pitt just as history was unfolding in collegiate athletics.

Following a Supreme Court decision, NCAA reforms made it possible for student athletes like her to take advantage of their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights.

Now a fourth-year BS in Exercise Science student at Pitt Education and a track-and-field athlete, Mackenzie is among a small group of students who are leading the way in reshaping the competitive landscape of collegiate athletics.

She is one of 50 female student athletes from around the country in the NCAA x Meta NIL Empower Program. The initiative provides special opportunities for students to learn about best practices in this emerging field including social media safety, financial literacy and career development.

In addition, she has access to valuable networking events with industry professionals and fellow student-athletes.

Mackenzie Sullivan, posing on a track hurdle
Mackenzie Sullivan has run track for the Panthers since 2021.

Leveraging her brand

Mackenzie has always shown a passion for movement and its study through anatomy and biomechanics. She’s also keen on content creation.

Mackenzie hosts a popular YouTube channel and podcast, “Athlete to Athlete.” So when she received an invite from the NCAA to attend the third-ever NIL Summit last year, she couldn’t pass it up.

“It felt like destiny for me to partake in the opportunity,” Mackenzie said.

The June 2024 summit in Atlanta featured more than 100 speakers and dozens of corporate brands eager for strategic partnerships.

“It was great not only to hear from so many amazing speakers but also to meet like-minded student-athlete creators from all over the country,” she said.

Those connections have already led her to work with brands including CVS, Meta, Insomnia Cookies, and others.

Expanding opportunities

Mackenzie’s experience promoting her NIL is not a passive effort, but one that “has been a lot of individual work.” She posts podcast episodes twice a month on top of all her responsibilities as a student-athlete.

Since arriving at Pitt in 2021, Mackenzie has competed in more than two dozen meets as part of the Panther Track & Field team, including winning the YSU Icebreaker 800 meters indoor meet three years in a row. She also set a new meet record in the 800 meters at the YSU meet in 2023.

As her studies at Pitt Education come to an end this spring, Mackenzie has an array of possibilities before her, with many more on the way.

Through the NCAA x Meta NIL Empower Program, she recently had the chance to follow the NCAA content team while they covered the Volleyball National Championships.

“I love the connections I’m able to make on the track and in the classroom,” she said.