For Elon alumna Ellie Whittington ʼ18, reporting on the Olympics was a childhood dream. When she found herself working for NBC Sports, that dream was finally within reach. 

Whittington started as a freelancer for NBC Sports in 2020, but her plans were disrupted when the Olympics were canceled because of the COVID-19  pandemic. Her first experience working an Olympic Games was remote in an office in the U.S., covering the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. 

Now, she is covering the Olympic Games in Beijing. 

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself and think ‘at 25 years old, I’ve worked two Olympic Games,’” Whittington said. 

Whittington currently serves as the social media team manager at the NBC Sports headquarters in Connecticut where she reports on winter sports such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl. 

“As an athlete growing up, but obviously not an Olympic athlete, I've always loved sports,” Whittington said. “Being at Elon and wanting to work in sports, this is kind of the dream and being my age and being young and working two Games is really incredible.”

While Whittington is behind the scenes covering the Games, another Elon University graduate is preparing for the podium. 

Lauren Brzozowski ʼ19 is on the USA Olympic bobsled development team, hoping to make it to Milan in 2026. During Brzozowski’s time at Elon, she was on the women's track team, but switched sports after graduation.  

“It's a very hard lifestyle, but it's a very rewarding one as well,” Brzozowski said. “What I'm most looking forward to is trying to just get on a podium. I want to get on a podium, I want to get a medal, I want to get a trophy. I feel like that's when I’ll know I made it and I really want to become like a big name in this sport.”

Brzozowski trains with her teammates in New York for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina everyday and said the biggest challenge is covering the expenses, since bobsledding is not a government funded sport. In order to cover some of her sports expenses, Brzozowski is a marketing consultant in her spare time. 

“The development team is a great team to be on when we first start out but, ultimately, the next goal is to try to get to the national team,” Brzozowski said. 

Brzozowski is not the only one looking ahead to the future.

“You know this isn't the top, this isn't exactly where I want to be,” Whittington said. “I want to keep going and keep growing. Eventually I hope to be live at an Olympic Games.” 

The Winter Olympics in Beijing will last until Feb. 20.