Jenna Marina Hometown: Port Richey, Fla. Position: Assistant Director of Communications

Jenna Marina joined the UCF Athletics staff in 2011 as the contact for the women's basketball, women's soccer, cross country and track and field teams.

While serving a two-year graduate assistantship with the FIU athletic media relations department in Miami, Marina worked with the Sun Belt Champion women's soccer team and women's basketball team. Prior to returning to her home state, she spent 2008-09 interning at Lafayette College (Easton, Pa.) as contact for several of Lafayette's 23 varsity sports, including field hockey, cross country, golf, tennis, track and field and softball. She also acted as the assistant contact for men's basketball. During that time, she was afforded the opportunity to cover Games 3 and 4 of the 2008 MLB World Series with the Tampa Tribune.

In the summer of 2008, Marina worked as the sports intern for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There, she was the primary beat writer for the first-year expansion Atlanta Dream (WNBA) and covered various assignments, including the Atlanta Braves, the preseason No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs football team and Beijing-bound athletes.

Marina graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida in May 2008 with a bachelor of science degree in journalism. While at Florida, Marina was a staff writer for the country's largest student-run newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator. Her time was highlighted by a trip to the Final Four covering the 2006-07 national championship men's basketball team, two appearances on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza" and coverage of quarterback Tim Tebow's Heisman season. Marina also wrote for newspapers such as the Tampa Tribune, Miami Herald, Florida Times-Union and the Daytona Beach News-Journal. She completed a summer internship with the Gainesville Sun in 2007. Marina obtained her master's degree in recreation and sports management from FIU in May 2011.