Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day!
The NGWSD was recognized by Congress in 1987 to recognize women’s sports, bringing awareness to the continued advancement and fight for equality of women in sports.
This year’s theme is Expanding Opportunity, recognizing the progress sparked by Title IX and continued efforts to ensure all women have access to sports.
To honor this day, let’s take a look at some of the best moments in women’s sports:
March 1991 | The Women’s Final Four is televised on CBS for the first time.
March 1992 | The Gender Equity Task Force was formed in response to the NCAA’s first study on gender equity, which showed disparities in the treatment of male and female student-athletes.
September 1993 | The NCAA now sponsors 15 women’s sports, in which 97,978 women compete on 6,173 teams across all three divisions.
January 1994 | The NCAA Emerging Sports Program, designed to increase athletic opportunities for women, is created.
September 1996 | Buffalo cross country runner Bridget Niland becomes the first college athlete, male or female, to chair the student-athlete advisory committee.
2001 | The NCAA championships are being contested for the first time in women’s ice hockey, women’s water polo and Division III women’s lacrosse.
July 2001 | NCAA and ESPN agree to $160 million deal for expanded coverage of Division I women’s basketball tournament, starting in 2003. May 2002 | The Florida Southern College women’s golf team wins the 2002 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships by 74 strokes: the largest margin of victory in the history of Division II golf championships – men’s or women’s.
September 2003 | University of West Alabama’s Tonya Butler becomes the first woman in NCAA football history to score a field goal.
September 2003 | The NCAA now sponsors 19 women’s sports, in which 158,459 women compete on 8,831 teams across all three divisions. November 2004 | Missy Buttry of Wartburg College becomes the first woman in an NCAA division to win three individual cross country titles. November 2008 | Emileigh Mercer finishes her Bowdoin College career with a 39-1 record, the best winning percentage for a goaltender in any division in NCAA field hockey history. February 2009 | Pat Summitt wins his 1,000th game, becoming the first Division I basketball coach (men’s or women’s) to reach that milestone. February 2009 | For 112 consecutive basketball games, University of Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris produced double-digit points and rebounds. No male or female player has come close to dominating these categories. March 2010 | Texas Christian University becomes the first all-female team to win the men’s and women’s national collegiate rifle championships. September 2013 | The NCAA now sponsors 20 women’s sports, in which 200,953 women compete on 10,057 teams across all three divisions. April 2015 | The NCAA Gender Equity Task Force reconvenes and commits to working to increase opportunities for female student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators. January 2017 | The UConn women’s basketball team, the four-time defending national champion, breaks its own NCAA record with 91 consecutive victories.
