Prophetic Yearbook Quote Materializes in ESPN Sideline Gig for Ohlmiller

The quote in Kylie Ohlmiller’s Islip (N.Y.) High School yearbook — an inside joke between friends about her dedication to the sport — has gone from ambitious to foretelling.

“See you on ESPN.”

The attacker from Long Island did just that in her collegiate days with Stony Brook and then with the U.S. Women’s National Team, combining video game numbers and BTB art on the field to make regular appearances on “SportsCenter” along with the network’s website and social media before graduating in 2018 as a two-time Tewaaraton finalist.

Ohlmiller was the first pick in the WPLL Draft in 2018, and after adding to the highlight reel in her two years in that league, she joined Athletes Unlimited for its inaugural 2021 campaign. After a successful first year in AU, Ohlmiller was gearing up for year two while wearing the red, white, and blue at the World Lacrosse World Championship in Towson, Md., in 2022.

But the highlights came to a screeching halt in the United States’ 17-2 semifinal victory over Australia.

The knee injury that sidelined Ohlmiller took her off the field for the 2022 season, into surgery, and eventually the work necessary to get back into an AU uniform in 2023. Amid that arduous process to return to playing condition, Ohlmiller honed her craft in another part of the lacrosse world: broadcasting.

Ohlmiller’s previous broadcasting experience on Stony Brook games, combined with her alma mater’s entrance into the CAA in 2023, illuminated a new on-air light as the analyst for the league’s LacrosseTV package and championship coverage. The reps have also included time at Le Moyne — a shorter drive from her Rochester home than down the Thruway — and other opportunities.

The plan for 2024 was to be on the field at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., but Ohlmiller’s offseason work led to the discovery of a new injury, sidelining her for the 2024 Athletes Unlimited campaign.

From that sideline, Ohlmiller is putting her new skills to work. Teamed with Joe Beninati and Courtney Martinez Connor, Ohlmiller is the third member of AU’s national broadcasts this summer. It is an opportunity to share her knowledge as an analyst and interviewer as a woman playing in today’s game.

“It’s a big piece of why I love doing it,” Ohlmiller said. “I have a passion for sharing my knowledge of the game and sharing the experience of what the game can give to people. It’s another way to show my expertise.”

Beninati, the veteran and versatile play-by-play announcer with Long Island lacrosse-playing roots of his own, sees how Ohlmiller’s strengths on the field translate to a broadcast position.

“Great players have to have great timing,” Beninati said. “In the first six games we did last weekend, I thought we meshed together very quickly. I love hearing her commentary off of Courtney; oftentimes Courtney will take a defensive approach and Kylie will take an offensive-minded approach. You get that point-counterpoint.”

It helps to know who you’re talking about, too.

“She has such a good relationship with the players,” Beninati said. “The players she’s been around for four years, those are her peers. The rookies, they all admire her and look up to her. When she approaches them from an interview perspective, they’re ready to give her some good insight.”

Ohlmiller’s proficiency on air is no surprise to those around her. With a profound knowledge of today’s game and a personality that invites the grittiest of competitors into conversation, the dual analyst/interviewer role fits her well.

“She’s been amazing,” said Sam Apuzzo, Ohlmiller’s AU and U.S. teammate. “She’s such an inspiration to so many people. She is such a hard worker, loves the game, and loves the community so much. So, to see her transition to being on the sideline, I’m so excited for her. She does such a good job. She’s very good at it. She’s very good.”

Ohlmiller’s focus after graduation was coaching, spending time on Joe Spallina’s staff while the Seawolves continued their run of conference titles. It’s a familiar path for many recent graduates, but the boom in women’s sports television opportunities has paved another opportunity.

“I think that is another positive outcome around the general bigger platform for women’s sports, right?” said Abi Jackson, the Athletes Unlimited director of sport for lacrosse. “Like, Charlotte [North] was calling ACC games, and Kylie’s a staple on Long Island and Stony Brook for games, so you get used to that. We would never have even known that that was something that they could do unless we're seeing them on TV.”

The increased exposure for women’s sports isn’t lost on Ohlmiller, either.

“Looking back from when I graduated to today, there are so many more games being televised,” she said. “That means there are so many more seats to be filled by us players. Times are changing, which is fantastic for women’s sports in general, and with more games to watch comes more opportunities for former players and coaches to be involved in the broadcasts.”

This new experience is not the closing of a chapter in Kylie Ohlmiller’s lacrosse career; think of it more as jotting down some good ideas for a future one. When the time comes to hang up the cleats, she has found a passion and a skill to keep her around the sport for years to come.

A decade after that prophetic yearbook quote, with her trademark determination, Kylie Ohlmiller has still found a way to be on television this summer — not with a stick, but with a mic.