Student Spotlight

Biography

Claire DeMeo ’24 is an Economics major and has minors in Sport, Media, and Culture; Computing and Digital Technologies; and Chinese. She works as a Broadcast Analyst and Communications Assistant at Fighting Irish Media in Communications and Live Production, and over the summer was a Development & Data intern at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Claire plays for the Notre Dame Women’s Rugby team and serves as their Communications Director, overseeing internal and external communications, social media, and website. She also assists with communications and developing the Sport, Media, and Culture minor program.

Biography

Jacob "Jake" Irons is a junior FTT major and SMAC minor from Plainfield, CT, who calls Siegfried Hall home while in South Bend. He was recently named the new president of NDTV, the student-run campus television station, where he will oversee the club's content and administrative duties. Jake broadcasts a wide selection of sports for Fighting Irish Media and WVFI, a student radio station, providing play-by-play and color commentary of the games. In March, he was fortunate enough to call Notre Dame's women's basketball NCAA Tournament round-of-32 victory over Ole Miss for WVFI. On football Saturdays, he works for NBC Sports as a spotter, calling player numbers and positions for talent, producer, and director. Outside of media, Jake referees intramural baseball and basketball for RecSports on campus. In his free time, he enjoys listening to country music, watching minor-league baseball, playing golf, and drinking lemonade.

Biography

Biography

Maria Wainscott ’24 is the Student Sideline Producer for Notre Dame Football on NBC. She also produces BIG 10 football games when Notre Dame Football is on the road. Maria is a Senior studying American Studies and Pre-Law with a minor in Sport, Media, and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. She is a Cincinnati, OH native and has been deeply involved in the entertainment industry from a young age. She was a recording artist for many years before she launched into her sports reporting career at the University of Notre Dame. She has worked for Notre Dame Television, written for The Observer, and broadcasted for WVFI sports radio. She is currently the Fighting Irish Media In-Game Stadium Host for Notre Dame Football, Men’s Basketball, and Volleyball; and the sideline reporter for Notre Dame Men’s and Women’s Boxing championships on ESPN+ and YouTube. Most recently, Maria completed her Senior Thesis entitled, “Storytelling the Storytellers: Female Sideline Reporters of American Football; Examining Gender, Workplace, and Hope.” She also has been nominated for the Jim Nantz award, the award for the nation’s best collegiate sports broadcaster. She is graduating this May and will be pursuing a Master’s Degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism on the Sports Media Track at Syracuse University.