Bobbi Caprice, Director of Athletics at Penn State Brandywine, spoke with DELCO Today about her childhood in Broomall and growing up in a sports-loving family.

She was drawn to basketball from a young age and continued playing while she attended Penn State Brandywine.

Caprice shared how the Athletics Department at Brandywine supported her as a young professional and how Brandywine is currently adjusting as a provisional member of the NCAA.

She also discussed the mentors and colleagues who’ve been instrumental to her success and how she finds work-life integration rather than work-life balance.

Where were you born, and where did you grow up?

Delco is a big part of me. I was born in Broomall, the fourth of five children, and I graduated from Marple Newtown High School. My husband and I lived in Media when we first got married, and now we live in West Chester with our two children.

What did your father and mother do?

My dad is a General Contractor. He has done extremely well for himself and sent five kids through college with his business. He’s my biggest inspiration. He grew up with a single mother, with financial challenges, and has spent his whole life providing for his family.

My mom had the hardest job ever as a stay-at-home mom. But she also helped run my dad’s business from behind the scenes. They’ve been married 46 years.

And what was your role in that big family?

We all had our own jobs! I joke around that I had two different childhoods. First, I was the youngest with three older sisters. There was a three-year gap between me and the next youngest. My role for a long time was to be the baby of the family.

But my brother is seven years younger than me. Once I got my license, I was the runner for my mom, because now she had a younger child at home and my older sisters weren’t around to help anymore.

What memories stick with you from growing up in Broomall?

We were a big sports family. Sports are my fondest memories. Basketball was my main sport, but my family was a softball family. My dad coached us in softball at the Newtown Square Petticoat League. I was the outlier, the only one to play basketball. If I weren’t playing myself, I could be found at one of my siblings’ games.

Do you have a favorite game that you remember as if it were yesterday?

My three older sisters, because they were so close in age, always played together. But this one game, my dad called me up to play in the senior division because he didn’t have enough players. And, for one inning, he put all four of us in the infield.

My sisters covered first base, shortstop, and third base, and he threw me in at second. I think that was the highlight of my dad’s life.

What took you into basketball?

As the fourth kid, you’re always looking to do something different than your older siblings.

All of my sisters danced. They were cheerleaders as young girls, and softball was their main sport, whereas I was the complete opposite. I wanted nothing to do with dance, and I never cheered.

But basketball grabbed my attention in first or second grade. When I was eight, Santa brought me a basketball hoop. From there, through middle school, I never stopped playing. By middle school, living so close to Villanova, my friends’ parents would take us to Villanova women’s basketball games. Back then, we were the only kids in the stands! But they really helped shape my love for the game.

Where did you end up going to school, Bobbi?

Basketball was a big piece in my college decision process. I knew that I was only Division III talent, so I was looking for a small school. At Marple Newtown, I was president of my class. I was very involved as a student and as an athlete. I knew I needed a small environment similar to that to thrive.

I had committed to a college in Delaware. I liked the small feel. But my mom was not into that particular school. She didn’t think it was the right fit for me, but she was letting me go through the process.

In one of my last games in my high school career, Larry Johnson, who’s still our Coach for women’s basketball at Penn State Brandywine, was in the stands. After the game, he came up to me and gave me this admissions packet. I thanked him and said, “I’m already committed.”

When I got home, my mom asked who I had been talking to after the game. Somehow, I had never been on campus despite it being 10 minutes from where I lived. But my mom insisted we go visit.

My dad is a big Penn State football fan. Just a year or two prior, my parents and I went to our first Penn State football game with my little brother. That was a great experience. My dad suggested before my visit, “Maybe we can get some Penn State football tickets.”

And so your life took a completely different trajectory, just because of Penn State football.

It seems silly, but that is the reality of how it happened. To please my mom and dad, I went for a visit. And I’ll never forget asking Coach Johnson if students at Brandywine could get Penn State football tickets. He said yes, tickets are available for students, no matter which campus you are at. And I have to tell you, that was a big selling point.

I realized I could be in a small classroom and small campus environment, and I could still play basketball. But yet, I got access to resources from a Big Ten institution, Penn State. It was the best of both worlds.

Was Penn State Brandywine the right choice for you?

Without a doubt. I wouldn’t be sitting here today otherwise. Brandywine gave me a great education and the chance to play a sport I love. And then my first career opportunity. I love what I do, every second of my day. I’m someone who gets up and gets excited to go to work. Not many people can say that.

And Coach Johnson is now your employee.

Yeah, it’s funny how life comes full circle. He makes a lot of jokes about it.

So, did you go on to graduate school?

I did! I got my master’s in school counseling at West Chester University. I originally envisioned myself in a high school setting. However, during my time as a Brandywine student, I was very involved with the Athletic Department. I worked in the fitness center during the day, but I also worked at the games. Aside from that, I loved giving our recruits tours of campus.

Our Athletic Director at the time called me a week after graduation and suggested that I take on a part-time recruiting position at Brandywine while I attended graduate school. I said yes. And then, a full-time staff member in our Athletic Department left, and he approached me to offer me that role, which included managing our fitness center.

By December, I was fully in this new role that they had created. Those next two years were the hardest two years of my life. I was attending grad school full-time while working full-time, and I was also coaching softball and basketball here. I was out of the house at 6:00 AM in the morning and not getting home until 10:00 PM.

Bobbi, who are the people who saw potential in you and opened career doors for you?

One is definitely Jim Gastner, the former Athletic Director at Brandywine. He was such a great mentor and a great resource to me early in my career. During that period when I worked in the Athletics Department and pursued my master’s, he was very supportive. He has given me great wisdom and advice in every aspect of my life.

Jeff Scarpone, our Associate Athletic Director, also comes to mind as someone who has been a rock for me during my time at Penn State Brandywine. I tell people all the time, his strengths are my weaknesses, and my weaknesses are his strengths. We make a great team.

Here we are, halfway through 2025. What are you focused on? What are your priorities?

Penn State Brandywine is undergoing one of its biggest transitions ever. We are becoming an NCAA institution. This is something that we’ve had our eyes on as a campus for over 15 years. We put together a 630-page application to apply for an exploratory year. It’s a very detailed, intense process. We were approved and just completed year two of a four-year process.

Before this transition, we were competing in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. They take pride in providing small colleges the opportunity to compete at the national level. We won four national championships in the last five years in the USCAA, and we were looking for our next big challenge.

Our regional Chancellor, Dr. Marilyn Wells, has been vital in our process and has strongly advocated for our efforts to join the NCAA. She saw this as a chance to increase visibility for our campus, recruit and retain student-athletes, and access the many resources that the NCAA provides.

This past year was our first provisional year. We had a lot of success. We also had a lot of challenges and spots where we have opportunities for growth, but our softball team won our conference championship. We’re one of the few schools that have done that, won a conference championship in the provisional year. I am very proud of how we represented Brandywine in our first year.

So, what do you do with all that free time you have?

I’m a mom of two young ones, so that takes up a lot of my time when I’m not on campus. My parents have a house in Ocean City, New Jersey. I’m a weekender down at the shore. The shore in the summer is my escape from reality. During the school year, I’m lucky if I get one day off a week in this profession. But that is okay. I love what I do!

It’s a crazy world out there. What keeps you hopeful and optimistic?

I’d say my children. I stay positive because I want them to grow up in a positive world. I think staying positive in any situation is important.

When I have a tough day or I turn on the news and say, “What the heck is happening?” … I look at them and their little smiling faces. I know I can play a big role in helping to shape who they are and how they can positively change the world.

Finally, Bobbi, what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I was listening to a podcast once, and I can’t remember who said this, but they said, “Don’t strive for work-life balance, strive for work-life integration.” That has stuck with me ever since.

I think COVID made people a lot more conscious of needing a “work-life balance.” That’s always a challenge. However, if you integrate your life with your work and work at an enjoyable job, you will find immense peace and happiness within. My husband and I met here at Penn State Brandywine as students. He’s our head baseball coach, so we have centered our lives around Brandywine athletics.

That works for us. My kids are on campus often. We do a trade-off. My husband picks them up and brings them to campus as I’m finishing up what I need to for the day. And when we’re heading out of the office, we stop at the baseball field so that they can say bye to Dad. I love that.

Work-life integration has really resonated with me.

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Publisher’s Note: Helen Harris assisted with this profile.