Jen Lada

Jennifer Lada (born January 14, 1981 ) is an American sportscaster for ESPN. She previously worked for networks in Milwaukee and Chicago.

Early life and education

Lada grew up in the town of Spring Grove, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee. She ran track at Marian Central Catholic High School.

Career

Lada began her broadcasting career after college as a sports reporter and anchor for the NBC affiliate station WREX in Rockford, Illinois. A restaurant service job supplemented her income in Rockford. At first hired to cover NHL hockey, she worked as a reporter and an anchor for CSN and sometimes appeared on its Kap & Haugh radio show. She briefly co-hosted a short-lived 8 p.m. ESPN Radio show, Jorge & Jen, with Jorge Sedano. Since 2016, she has served in long-term roles as a features reporter for College GameDay and a host for College Football Live. She has continued to appear on or guest host other ESPN shows, including Get Up and SportsCenter. A feature by Lada for E:60 about the death of college football quarterback Tyler Hilinski won a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Documentary in 2020.

Lada has remained active in regional sports media in Wisconsin. In 2020, she began co-hosting, with Gabe Neitzel and Mark Chmura, a morning sports show for the ESPN radio affiliate WKTI in Milwaukee. In 2022–23, she served as the host for a weekly WKTI radio show featuring Marquette men's basketball coach Shaka Smart.

Personal life

Lada married Dario Melendez, sports director at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, in 2017; a previous marriage ended in divorce. She has three children, two with Melendez. A recreational endurance athlete, she has run multiple marathons and triathlons.