When Antonelli arrived at Ohio State as Director of Marketing, Ohio State did not have any televised women's sports. Antonelli arranged a deal with a local station to air eight women's games per season, gathered the needed sponsors to produce those games, and as a bonus, became the play-by-play voice for those games. She announced Ohio State women's games for five years while also serving as an analyst for Dayton Flyers men's basketball games for three years. In 1995, after birth of her first child, Antonelli settled her mind on sports broadcasting, and shortly thereafter, she would sign on as a full-time broadcaster.
