More game-changing athletes—and their new arenas
From medicine to music and media, these former Ohio State athletes prove their drive extends far beyond the playing field.
Buckeyes contain multitudes. Ohio State athletes are often among the best at their chosen sport, but they’ve also found myriad ways to excel away from the playing field after their playing days. Here are some unique paths walked by those who competed in scarlet and gray.
1. Lisa Bettio ’87
Sport: Volleyball (1982–1985)
Career: Physical therapist
One of the brightest stars in Buckeye volleyball history, Bettio was named to the Big Ten’s 1980s all-decade team and inducted into The Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame. After graduation, she coached at the University of South Carolina and competed on beach volleyball pro tours while working for South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control.
How’d she end up studying orthopedic physical therapy at the Medical University of South Carolina? “Being a college and professional athlete, I have had to work through a few injuries,” Bettio says. “Dedicated trainers and therapists got me back up and going.”
Bettio’s first PT job was in Savannah, Georgia. She remained there for two decades before starting her own practice in nearby Richmond Hill.
2. Evan Blankenship ’11
Sport: Football (2007–2011)
Career: Country singer and marketing account executive
Blankenship became a singer-songwriter while manning the Buckeye offensive line, but his performances were limited to the student-athlete talent show and YouTube. “Before the NIL stuff, we couldn’t really make any money off our name, image and likeness,” he says.
That changed when Blankenship moved to Nashville after his senior season. He worked at recording studios and played in bands before returning to Columbus with his wife in 2017.
Not long after becoming a marketing professional for RadiOhio, he formed the country quartet North to Nashville. In 2019, they first played the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer, which won them new fans and helped score gigs with stars Eric Church and Luke Combs.
3. Stephanie Hightower ’81
Sport: Track & Field (1977–1980)
Career: President & CEO, Columbus Urban League
Hightower was a world-class hurdler. At Ohio State she went undefeated in all competitions, set 11 Big Ten and Ohio State records, was a four-time NCAA champion and broke the world record in the 60-yard hurdles. She qualified for the 1980 Olympics, when the U.S. boycotted the games, and was one of the first women inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
One of her first jobs after track was running a summer youth employment program at the Columbus Urban League. She returned years later as CEO after stints with the Columbus mayor’s office, Columbus College of Art & Design and the Columbus Board of Education, where she served as president.
“At the Columbus Urban League, I could be of service to those who are underrepresented people, who need a hand up, who need access and opportunities,” Hightower says, crediting her years at Ohio State and membership in Delta Sigma Theta sorority for developing those priorities.
4. James Borchers ’93, ’08 MPH
Sport: Football (1989–1993)
Career: Physician
Borchers, a long snapper, went on to a distinguished career in sports medicine. Having obtained his MD degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University, he returned in 2004 to Ohio State, where he completed a master’s in public health with a focus on clinical investigations. Working as a College of Medicine professor and seeing patients several days a week, his roles have included Department of Athletics head team physician and director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship.
In 2017, Borchers founded the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health, an organization that helps athletic institutions assess how they deliver health care. In 2021, he became chief medical officer for the Big Ten.
“The most important thing for athletics are athletes,” Borchers says. “Athletes perform their best when they are physically well, mentally well, and have environments and organizations around them that are built to have them succeed.”
5. Fidan Manashirova ’13
Sport: Tennis (2009–2013)
Career: Film and TV producer
Manashirova is among the winningest Buckeye women’s players and was part of our highest ranked squad. After graduating, she moved to Hollywood.
She worked in talent representation, pivoted into fashion and beauty marketing, then returned to entertainment, rising at Netflix to manager of drama development. She’s since worked as senior director of development at Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and then joined Fox Entertainment as director of drama development. She also had a small part in the 2017 tennis movie “Battle of the Sexes.” (She’s shown on set, in sunglasses.)
Manashirova credits her years as a student-athlete for instilling the discipline, resilience and teamwork that shaped her career: “Tennis taught me how to perform under pressure, adapt quickly and fight for every point.”
