Celebration marks 25 years of women in Ivy sports

More than 200 people gathered in the Palestra to mark 25 years of women in Ivy League championship events. Though it was billed as a celebration of 25 years of Ivy League women's championship athletic competition, the exhibits, speakers and alumnae present made it clear that the event commemorated much more than just a silver anniversary. More than 200 former and current women student-athletes, administrators and coaches gathered Saturday in the Palestra to reminisce about glory days, see old friends and, most importantly, commemorate the past and celebrate the present of women's athletics at Penn and throughout the Ivy League. Upon entering the Palestra, many alumnae -- some escorted by husbands, children and grandchildren -- studied a massive timetable along the basketball court sideline that chronicled the history of women's athletics at Penn, from when the first women's varsity team, tennis, debuted in 1916, to next year's scheduled tee-off of women's golf. The exhibit, replete with decades-old photographs, traced many landmark events in women's athletics. "I didn't know half of what I've read today," said Polly Mitchell, a 1976 Penn alumna who started the women's fencing team and still coaches both sexes at Penn today. In 1973, the Ivy League had its first championship competition for women, a rowing contest. To celebrate the historic anniversary, each of the eight Ivy League universities is hosting a special commemorative event throughout the year. Penn's event, the second after Harvard's, was held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships, which were held at Franklin Field Friday and yesterday and won by Old Dominion. Indeed, while the Ivy League is collectively celebrating 25 years of championship competition, Penn is celebrating more than 80 years of women's athletics. Besides the Penn timeline, visitors also enjoyed a 20-foot, double-sided traveling photo exhibit that will be brought to each university for its respective event. The schools contributed photos of noteworthy athletes and historic moments in women's athletics in the Ivy League. The images ranged from a 1926 photo of Louise Drake, Penn's first black female athlete, sitting among her all-white basketball team, to a 1955 shot of four young Penn women in long dresses and posing with a golf club. Although they may not have personally recognized many of the alumnae in the pictures, several current women student-athletes were interested in the displays. "I've learned a lot about other Penn athletes. It makes you feel really good about playing women's sports," said College senior Amanda Bradford, a member of the squash team. In the formal part of the program, Penn Senior Associate Athletic Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich told the audience that "women's athletics at Penn goes back further than 25 years -- a testament to all of you today." Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, a 1971 Penn alumnus and former star guard on the Quakers basketball team, then cited the large increase in media coverage and national attention given to women's athletics. He added that "Penn has always been on the forefront of gender equity." The school has 15 women's varsity teams to 17 for men. University President Judith Rodin, a 1966 graduate of the College for Women, also discussed the "expansion of women's athletics," and the value of athletic competition. "You learn more than how to play a game. You learn about yourself and about life," Rodin said. Coaches, both past and present, were also honored on Saturday. Anne Sage, Penn's veteran lacrosse and field hockey coach, called them "surrogate parents, through the thick and thin of it all." After the speakers, Penn recognized 30 Honor Roll representatives -- two outstanding athletes from each sport. The athletes, 29 alumnae and one current student -- College senior and soccer player Darah Ross -- were selected over the summer by nearly 400 Penn alumnae. The alumnae at each university selected two representatives for each varsity sport. Nicky Hitchins, a 1989 Penn graduate and Honor Roll representative of the field hockey team, said after the program that being selected by peers was an "overwhelming" experience. "I got a letter in the mail from the Athletic Department. I didn't understand what it was all about," Hitchins said. The program concluded with a 10-minute video montage of Penn women athletes set to a soundtrack of female pop vocalists. Saturday's celebration was the culmination of months of comprehensive research done by students, administrators and alumnae -- most notably Cathy D'Ignazio, a 1984 alumnus of Penn and the field hockey team, who searched yearbooks, newspapers and archives. "I'm happy to see other people looking at all this," D'Ignazio said, pointing to the timeline.