Abby Waner admits she’s no expert on Colorado State football. However, she may soon be an authority.
Waner, the ThunderRidge High graduate who went on to star for Duke women’s basketball, has been hired by CSU as a sideline reporter for football games broadcast on the CSU Radio Network.
“There’s something about sports that I can’t watch them without getting goosebumps every time there’s a good play, or you see a player’s reaction, or you see a championship won,” Waner said Wednesday. “Knowing what it takes to get there as a player, I think it’s just a natural transition to want to cover that through the media.”
Waner replaces Tori Holt on the CSU Radio Network. Holt moved back to his home state of Minnesota.
It won’t be Waner’s first experience in broadcasting. While in college, she worked as a sideline reporter for ESPN and ESPNU during Duke football and basketball games. She also hosted Duke football coach David Cutcliffe’s show, and interned for ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight.”
Early in her time at ESPN, Waner received the best advice of her career: be yourself in front of the camera.
“You have to be able to trust in yourself and trust in your instincts that you know sports and you know the game,” Waner said. “The best broadcasters, they have a personality to them.”
Though she’ll continue to work with ESPN during the upcoming college basketball season, Waner had been looking to expand her career to other sports.
“I really wanted to start doing some football, because just being there, being able to watch the sport and be right there on the field sounds awesome to me,” she said.
Waner said there’s “endless opportunities” in sideline reporting, but she eventually hopes to host a show, or even become a basketball analyst — akin to her role model and mentor, Doris Burke, who analyzes basketball games for ESPN.
This season, Waner team with CSU play-by-play man Brian Roth and analyst Kevin McGlue during broadcasts.
At ThunderRidge, Waner was the consensus national player of the year in 2005, as awarded by both McDonald’s and Gatorade. She led the Grizzlies to three-consecutive state titles from 2003-05. Waner was 92-8 in her prep career. She set the record for most points in a game when she dropped 61 on Grandview in the playoffs.
Waner then played her freshman year at Duke in a national championship game, and was a three-time first-team all-ACC tournament pick.
The accolades provide for a unique perspective.
“I like it because I know what it’s like to be that player,” Waner said. “I know the emotion and the work and the sacrifice that you give to be a college athlete.”
She was the 21st overall pick of the New York Liberty in 2009, but was waived before the season. Waner drove home to Colorado after being cut, and hasn’t left since.
“I’m so glad that I did,” she said. “I love Colorado, and it’s so nice to finally be back involved in Colorado sports.”
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1983 or rcasey@denverpost.com
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, it was incorrectly stated that Waner had won a national championship as a freshman at Duke. Duke and Waner lost to Maryland in the national championship game her freshman year.
