One of the biggest benefits of NIL, according to Bognar, is the ability for student-athletes to capitalize off who they are outside of their sports. This allows them to create meaningful, personal relationships with their own fan bases. This has already proven true for Illinois swim and dive as the ripple effect of Top Tier Lessons is paying major dividends. Bognar has had parents reaching out personally to ask when their meets are, stating that their kids want to go see their coaches. This is significant because swimming and diving is not a sport that typically attracts many people from the community to come watch. Bognar wants to change that by getting more people involved in non-revenue sports.
Bognar’s personal life is incredibly busy with sky-high ambitions, a Division-I athletics schedule, the rigors of an academically challenging degree, frequent business trips around the country, relationships to maintain, and a successful company to continue to build upon. With all these competing demands, she has had to figure out how to balance her time effectively.