By Austin Overmann
Cornell Athletic Communications

ITHACA, N.Y. – Chicago runs through the veins of Cornell softball alumnae Elise Menaker '10.
 
A native of Wilmette, Illinois, Menaker returned to the Windy City in 2017 when she accepted a position with Big Ten Network, and dug her roots in further after she was hired as a studio host and reporter for the Chicago Cubs' Marquee Sports Network in 2020.

Sports reporting and journalism wasn't always the plan for Menaker, however. It was an internship she held at Chicago's ABC7 prior to her senior year at Cornell that changed her plans.
 
"Growing up I thought I wanted to be fashion editor of Vogue magazine," Menaker said. "I held internships at various magazines in the Chicagoland area throughout college, but felt like I couldn't see myself doing that for the rest of my life. I was thinking that perhaps the print industry wouldn't look the same 10 to 20 years down the road."
 
Words of advice from her mother and a passion for sports influenced Menaker to give sports media a chance in the summer of 2009 when she was hired as an intern in ABC7's sports department.
 
"My mom always emphasized internships because she wanted us to learn what we wanted to do and find our passion," Menaker said.
 
Menaker's experience at ABC7 culminated in what she still recalls as one of the best days of work she's ever had.
 
On July 23, 2009, Menaker was tasked with heading to U.S. Cellular Field (now Guaranteed Rate Field) for a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. Menaker's job would be to capture pre and post-game sound for the news station.
 
Long-time White Sox ace Mark Buehrle took to the pitching mound that day. With temperatures in the mid-70's and little to no wind, it was a perfect day for baseball. Buehrle made quick work of a talented Tampa Bay squad, dispatching 27 consecutive batters. A dazzling catch by centerfielder DeWayne Wise, solidified Buehrle as the 18th pitcher in major league history to toss a perfect game.
 
"I remember calling my parents after the game and telling them it was the best day of my life," Menaker said. "To know that was the potential of what I would get to do, that's when I knew I would pursue sports reporting."
 
Like most sports media professionals, Menaker didn't start at the top. After graduating from Cornell in 2010, Menaker made a pit stop in Skövde, Sweden, where for four months she played professional softball for the Skövde Saints. Playing softball overseas allowed for Menaker to travel the world before taking her first post-grad job as a general assignment reporter in Columbia, Missouri.
 
After seven months of work at KMIZ-TV in Columbia, Menaker headed home to Chicago where she attended Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. At Northwestern, Menaker was a Bloomberg scholar and received her master's degree in broadcast journalism. Menaker did everything she could to cover sports. In her business reporting classes, she focused on the business of sports and created sports beats in every class she could.
 
"That was my way of honing my craft and focusing on what I knew I wanted to do after I graduated," Menaker said.
 
The Medill school has a decorated history of producing some of the best sports reporters in the business, including Rachel Nichols, Adam Schefter, Rich Eisen, Christine Brennan and Michael Wilbon.
 
"I would not be the sports reporter I am today without my news reporting background and my Medill background," Menaker said. "The reason I went to Medill is I felt that I wanted to learn the fundamentals and foundation of journalism."
 
Following her graduation from Northwestern, Menaker headed to central Illinois where she was hired as a news reporter at WAND in Decatur.
 
"At the time I still wanted a sports reporter job, but didn't get offered one," Menaker said. "I got really good advice from a career service woman at Medill who said 'You have two choices, you can continue to apply and be behind, or you can take this job and be ahead in your career.' She emphasized that it was all about the experience and that really resonated with me."
 
In Decatur, the news director was understanding of Menaker's desire to cover sports and provided her with opportunities to cover sports news stories. In order to get her foot in the door, Menaker started shooting football highlights for the sports anchors, which led to her filling in at the sports desk. Through her success during those fill-in opportunities, Menaker became the morning news anchor in her second year at the station.
 
It wasn't long before Menaker took her first full-time sports reporter job however. After two years in Decatur, Menaker became a sports reporter at WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin covering the Packers, Brewers and Bucks.
 
Her work at WTMJ led her to where she is today at Big Ten Network, where she works as a football sideline reporter, softball analyst and studio host.
 
As a softball analyst, Menaker brings a vast breadth of knowledge to the broadcast through her experience as a four-year member of the Cornell softball program. A three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, Menaker graduated as the school's career record-holder for doubles (53) and ranked in the top five all-time for home runs (37), slugging percentage (.643), RBI (188), runs scored (156) and batting average (.363). Menaker helped Cornell to a 154-52 record, alongside two Ivy League titles and NCAA appearances during her tenure.
 
"I always say Cornell was the best four years of my life," Menaker said. "What sticks out to me are the friends I made and the time we spent together. When you add to it the championships and the success we had, that's the icing on the cake."
 
In 2020, Menaker was inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame alongside her teammate Alyson Intihar.
 
Through her exceptional work at Big Ten Network, Menaker was given the opportunity of a lifetime in 2020 when she was hired as a studio host and reporter for the Chicago Cubs' newly launched Marquee Sports Network. Though her first year on the job at Marquee was unlike any other due to the pandemic, Menaker is grateful for the opportunity she has covering the team she saw on television growing up.
 
Now gearing up for her first full season handling both jobs, Menaker is relishing the chance to continue doing both.
 
"I love being busy and I love work, so for me it's something that I'm excited about," Menaker said. "A huge part of what I love at Big Ten Network is getting to be around the sport that I love and grew up playing. That's what I love about the Marquee job as well. Baseball is my favorite sport and getting to cover the team I grew up watching every day is a dream come true."