Rowe named Sports Director at Mountain Top Media

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (May 13, 2024) – Mountain Top Media has named Brittany Rowe as its new sports director.

Rowe brings unmatched excitement to her new position. She has served as Assistant Sports Director for Mountain Top Media since January 2023, working alongside former Sport Director Teddy Paynter, who passed away last month. She worked as Interim Sports Director when Paynter fell ill earlier this year.

"I am excited to continue to grow our sports department and expand our coverage area for our local athletes,” Rowe said. “I have big shoes to fill, stepping into this role following the great Teddy Paynter, and I plan to carry on his legacy."

A Pike County native, Rowe grew up surrounded by sports. Her father, David Rowe, was a basketball coach at Johns Creek High School in the 1980s and later served as head basketball coach for Pike County Central High School from 1993 to 2007. Her late mother, Kelly Rowe, was head cheerleading coach for Pike Central from 1993 to 2008, then head cheerleading coach at the University of Pikeville from 2008 to 2011. And her grandfather, Morris Justice, was a baseball, basketball and football coach at Mullins High School in the 1960s and 1970s. She also has her own background in sports, being a cheerleader for UPike from 2008 to 2012 and later coaching cheerleading at several schools in the community.

That history gives her an understanding of how important sports reporting is to the athletes and their families.

“There is so much talent in the mountains, but a lot of times, our local athletes get overshadowed,” Rowe said. “My goal is to always give our kids the exposure and coverage they deserve so they can continue to go after their dreams. I want Mountain Top Sports to be THE source for local sports.

“I’ve got my game face on.”

Prior to moving into sports full-time, she worked as a marketing specialist for six years and a radio personality for five years. She has been with Mountain Top Media since 2018.

"Brittany has been invaluable to Mountain Top in whatever role she has filled, but she truly excels in sports,” Mountain Top Media President Cindy May Johnson said. “Her passion for sports reporting shows in the energy and enthusiasm she brings to her work. It makes me so happy to see her pursuing her dreams."

Rowe is a 2008 graduate of Pike Central, and a 2014 graduate of the University of Pikeville, where she majored in Communications and Mass Media.

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