Austin won the Miss Nebraska USA 2004 title in a state pageant held in October 2003.[5][6] During her reign, she spoke to thousands of school children and toured the USS Nebraska submarine and Camp Pendleton. It was her second attempt at the title, as she placed as a semi-finalist in the 2002 event.[1] Austin represented Nebraska at Miss USA 2004.
New England Sports Network (NESN) hired Austin as a reporter in 2014, initially to report rinkside at Boston Bruins hockey games.[12] She also became the sideline reporter for Boston Red Sox home games at Fenway Park. In June 2016, after the Red Sox made an extra innings comeback against the Chicago White Sox, Austin was caught in the crossfire of the team's exuberant Gatorade celebration, an incident covered by sportscasters around the United States.[13][14] Several similar incidents occurred during her time covering the Red Sox.[15] During the 2017 season, she suffered a concussion after fainting on a flight.[16] After the 2020 baseball season, Austin's contract with NESN expired and was not renewed; Austin confirmed her departure from NESN in January 2021.[17]
