Lehigh’s Jenna O’Dell talks her way into sports media

From a nervous first-year to a confident upperclassman, and from mini mics to a real podcast studio, senior rower Jenna O’Dell has created a Lehigh legacy she hopes will last beyond the river. 

In the 2024 season, O’Dell rowed in Lehigh’s first varsity eight-plus boat, which was given Patriot League Boat of the Week honors. Inspired by the athletic talent around her, last fall, she also started her own podcast, “The Mountain Hawk Talk,” which highlights student athletes across all Lehigh sports. She pursues these things in addition to serving as the managing editor of multimedia for The Brown and White. 

O’Dell said she was initially daunted by the extensive work being a Division I athlete would come with, but she took a leap of faith when she committed to Lehigh. 

“Coming to Lehigh, I had an idea of what being an athlete would mean, but I didn’t realize the impact it would have on me as a person,” O’Dell said. “I’ve come to see, with every mistake I’ve made, it just makes you better. Failure isn’t something (to) be scared of.” 

Junior Mina Petrovic, O’Dell’s teammate and roommate, echoed this sentiment. She said she’s watched O’Dell grow by seeing her learn to accept certain results not as a bad thing but as something to work from. 

“When I first came to school, she was literally the first person I met, and she was just so nice and made me feel so welcomed,” Petrovic said. “She’s an amazing athlete.”

Outside of rowing, O’Dell said starting her own podcast has been a goal of hers for a long time. 

Last semester, she met with Kelly Rohrer, the associate director of communications for multimedia services, and made that dream a reality. 

O’Dell built her podcast — what she calls her “little baby” — from the ground up. Rohrer credited the senior for all the work she has put into it, before, during and after production. 

The podcast features conversations with Lehigh student athletes from various sports, offering insights into their personal experiences.

Rohrer said the nature of the podcast — a student athlete interviewing a student athlete — is distinct and makes each guest feel welcome. 

“She’s been able to make the guest comfortable and open up and tell their story,” Rohrer said. “(She’s) really bubbly, really happy and always comes in with a smile.”

Since the first episode debuted on Oct. 9, 2024, “The Mountain Hawk Talk” has grown from five to 36 listeners — a milestone O’Dell said represents the growth of the podcast beyond numbers alone. 

“The fact that we did that in a year, and we went from recording with mini mics to having an actual podcast studio in a little closet is just so telling about the dedication to the cause,” O’Dell said. 

Now, 17 episodes later, Rohrer said she has seen O’Dell grow with the podcast. 

She said she gave a lot of notes after the first few episodes, but by the time spring semester arrived, her edits started dwindling as a result of O’Dell settling into the process and finding her groove.

O’Dell said another meaningful part of the podcast has been meeting different people from each of the 24 varsity teams at Lehigh. 

“It’s been super cool to learn more about people, as a senior, that I’m graduating with,” she said.

Looking toward graduation, O’Dell credits her experience with “The Mountain Hawk Talk” as the jumpstart to her pursuing a career in multimedia and sports journalism after Lehigh. 

Reflecting on the past four years, O’Dell said she now understands just how quickly college goes by.

“In the grand scheme of things, four years is like a blip,” O’Dell said. “I guess I didn’t really realize that, and now that I’ve come to that point, I just feel like I could have done more.”

She said former professor Jack Lule, who retired from the journalism department last semester after a 34-year-long career at Lehigh, was the most influential person for her throughout her time at Lehigh. 

“He was such a light in my life,” O’Dell said. “He was so supportive of me becoming a journalist. He was just such an incredible mentor to me.”

She also said she’s thankful for her teammates for being a constant in her life, sticking with her through thick and thin. She said they had her back particularly during her sophomore year, when there was a coaching change on the rowing team and she had a difficult time adjusting. 

As Petrovic enters her senior year at Lehigh, she said she’ll miss seeing O’Dell and the friendship they’ve built. 

“Her leaving is gonna be really emotional for me,” Petrovic said. “She’s always been there to support me and help me. She’s always somebody I’d go to and talk to if I have issues.”