Jess Sims Women’s March Madness: Her Most Exciting ESPN Role Yet

Jess Sims Women’s March Madness is officially happening, and it is a big deal.

The Peloton tread instructor and longtime ESPN contributor has been named the sideline reporter for the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, working alongside play-by-play broadcaster Beth Mowins and analyst Debbie Antonelli. ESPN confirmed the assignment as part of its full commentator pairings announcement for the tournament.

The assignment runs from the First and Second Rounds in Ann Arbor, Michigan, through the Final Four and national championship in Phoenix. It also marks Sims’ first significant role in ESPN’s women’s tournament coverage.

From Peloton Tread to Center Court

Jess Sims joined Peloton in 2018 as a tread instructor, having left a career in education after stints with Teach for America and as a kindergarten teacher in New York. She also served as an assistant principal before making the leap to fitness.

She holds a background in collegiate basketball, having captained the Division III program at Trinity College, and previously worked with the WNBA’s New York Liberty as an in-arena host and sideline reporter.

The Clip Out has tracked her ESPN career from the start. She made her debut on College GameDay Built by The Home Depot in 2022, quickly becoming a crowd favorite. She returned to College GameDay for the 2023 season even more fired up than before.

Then in 2024, she expanded into men’s college basketball by joining ESPN’s Saturday Prime crew as a game reporter alongside Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas. That same year, she was recognized as a rising sports media star by Awful Announcing.

The Jess Sims Women’s March Madness assignment is the natural next step in a media career that has been building steadily alongside her Peloton work.

The Jess Sims Women’s March Madness Schedule

For the First and Second Rounds, Jess Sims Women’s March Madness coverage begins on the sideline in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the schedule includes Michigan vs. Holy Cross and NC State vs. Tennessee.

The assignment continues through the end of the tournament. Sims is part of the team for the Final Four semifinals on April 3 and the national championship on April 5 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The title game airs on ABC beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, for the fourth consecutive year.

Jess Sims Women’s March Madness Arrives at the Right Moment

This assignment lands at a moment of genuine expansion for women’s basketball coverage.

ESPN’s exclusive Jess Sims Women’s March Madness coverage spans all 67 games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNEWS. The network is also deploying on-site studio teams for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Sacramento and Fort Worth for the first time, making this one of the most ambitious women’s sports productions ESPN has ever mounted.

The audience for women’s college basketball has grown steadily, and Sims stepping into a prominent sideline role for the full run reflects that investment.

Follow Along Starting March 18

The tournament’s First Four begins on Wednesday, March 18.

If you want to follow Jess Sims Women’s March Madness action in real time, mark your calendar now. She has been building toward a role like this for years, and if you have been watching her journey on the Peloton platform and beyond, this is the one to watch.

She has earned every step of this one. Will you be tuning in to cheer her on?

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