Mackenzie Barwell remembers the exact moment she decided to come to Mac

A friend was giving her a campus tour starting near Cootes Paradise. They emerged from the trail near Ron Joyce Stadium, with the sun beaming down on the athletic facilities and Alumni Field.  

“This is where I want to be,” Barwell remembers thinking.  

It was a strong beginning for an aspiring sports media professional and passionate athlete. 

Four years later, Barwell is gearing up to graduate in June with a degree in Political Science and Communications.  

She’s had a remarkable career already — during her undergraduate degree, she’s freelanced for CBC, worked as a digital and in-stadium host for Hamilton’s professional soccer team, and reported on the World University Games from Italy.  

And she’s just getting started.  

Opportunities abound 

One of her earliest sports reporting gigs was on campus at McMaster: She started working for Athletics & Recreation in her first year at Mac as an in-game host.  

In her second year, she pitched an idea to create an original series called “Marauder Mondays,” spotlighting and sharing the stories of Mac athletes.  

“To me, it was just a great idea to get people more engaged in our athletics,” Barwell said. She thought it would be “more of a process” to get the idea approved, but Jay Barlett, head of communications at Ath and Rec, was eager to jump on board.  

“What I found really cool about Mac was how willing they were to sort of facilitate my aspirations and just help me find opportunities to get involved,” Barwell said.  

“Just by making my passion and my career aspirations known, Mac was really able to help me facilitate that and find positions.”  

In addition to being an in-game host, she’s also worked as a digital media assistant and student lead of Fan Engagement with the Marauders.  

She’s passionate about sharing athletes’ stories and giving them their moment to shine.  

“It’s just been really cool realizing just how competitive our athletic landscape is at Mac and the amount of quality that is actually being pumped out of this university on a sporting level,” she said.  

“And the willingness our Ath and Rec department has to incorporate media ventures if the students are willing to take initiative.”  

Working with the Marauders opened the door to other opportunities with professional sports teams, including Forge FC and the Guelph Nighthawks.  

Last fall, a Marauder friend on the Nordic ski team sent her a link to the FISU Young Reporters Program – which takes a group of aspiring sports journalists to cover 12 days of competition at the World University Games.  

It looked amazing, but they only accepted a handful of people. Barwell decided to try anyway, “because I love winter sports.”  

She was chosen as one of six international participants and the Canadian representative for the program at the Torino 2025 World University Games in January.  

She spent three weeks there, covering what is one of the largest multi-sport events in the world with the expert mentorship of an elite group of storytellers.  

Her resume has grown over the winter, with freelance gigs for CBC Sports and side-line reporting for the Canadian Premier League and Canadian Elite Basketball League.  

With her undergraduate classes behind her, Barwell recently started a new role as a full-time broadcaster and digital creator with Onesoccer in Toronto.  

She emphasizes that everything she’s been able to achieve so far has been because of her time at McMaster. “Truly the entire foundation I’ve built for myself was here.”  

Get out of your comfort zone 

Recently, reading her journal from first year, Barwell found a section from when she was preparing for her events staff interview with Ath & Rec.  

“I had pages and pages written of how I was gonna pitch myself,” Barwell said. “I took it very seriously.”  

Her journal entry also included some goals. Short-term: Make the event staff. Long-term: Become public announcer for Mac sports.  

It’s safe to say that she’s far surpassed those milestones. If her first-year self could see where she’s at now, “she would be in shock,” Barwell said.  

But it all happened because she wasn’t afraid to pursue her dreams and take chances that came her way.  

“If you make your passion known and really communicate that with your community, you will find the support that you need,” Barwell said.  

She wants other students to know that “you can take initiative and create your own opportunities,” but acknowledges that not everybody is that type of person.  

“I don’t want it to get twisted that you have to have this crazy confidence to pitch ideas… in your first and second year,” Barwell said.  

“But it’s [about] stepping out of your comfort zone and really meeting as many people as you can, because through that process I think you’ll sort of discover what you like and what you’re good at.”  

Other students have reached out to Barwell for advice about getting involved in sports media. She’s always happy to chat: She’s met up with several people for coffees, and even brought one of them with her to a networking event for women in sports. 

“One of the things I love most about this campus is just how inclusive it is and how accepted I’ve felt into this community for the past four years. And I want to carry that with me,” Barwell said.  “I’m honestly so excited to say that I’m an alumnus and help students.”  

She’s leading the way in sports media from McMaster, but Barwell doesn’t plan to go alone. “Obviously I don’t want to be the last or the only one.”