Title IX Anniversary: Honoring pioneers in Irish Women's Athletics

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - Notre Dame trailblazers, the pioneers of Irish women’s athletics, are getting much-deserved honors this weekend for the game against UNLV by the Athletics Department and the Monogram Club.

This year is the 50^th anniversary of Title IX, banning colleges and universities from discriminating on the basis of sex. It’s also the 50^th anniversary of the year women were allowed to attend Notre Dame. And as soon as they got here, they got work on how they too could play varsity sports alongside the boys.

Matt Weldy, Executive Director of the Notre Dame Monogram Club, says over 250 women were invited back to campus for the event.

“From a ceremony to a tailgate, enjoying the game, pregame recognition, just all the things in between to make sure that when they walk away from here this weekend, that we’ve created a moment they won’t soon forget,” Weldy said.

The honorees include both the founders of the women’s athletic association and the women who competed at Notre Dame during the first five years of co-education from 1972 to 1977.

Missy Conboy is one Notre Dame grad who’s been directly impacted by their work as a four-year member of the Notre Dame Women’s Basketball team from 1978 to 1982.

“These women, got together, participated together at the high school level, in some cases may not have participated before at all, and paved their own way, they found their own way to games, paid for their own uniforms and really set the stage for what five years later was the start of varsity athletics,” Conboy said.

Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination at universities that receive federal funding. It was enacted in 1972. That same year Notre Dame enrolled its first class of undergraduate women. Not soon after, a group of passionate women formed the women’s athletics association, paving the way for club teams and women’s varsity programs.

“This is a special group because if you date back to 1972 these were some of the first female athletes to compete,” Weldy said. “They certainly had a hand in creating the current generation student athlete experience.”

Half of the university’s 26 varsity programs are for women. Starting with the tennis team in 1976 and going on to add fencing, field hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming and diving, cross country, golf, soccer, track and field, lacrosse and rowing.

Irish women have won 14 national championships since then.

The honorees will be along the sidelines for the game against UNLV and will be recognized after the 1^st quarter.

 “Anyone in the stands, we ask at the end of the quarter when this group is recognized, to provide a little extra round of applause for their efforts,” Weldy said.

The following women are being honored: 

• Anne Marie Adams
• S. Ahoy
• Kam Amato
• Kathryn Andersen
• Judy Arenson
• Maria Arminio
• Lorainne Armstrong
• Sue Augustus
• Cheryl Baggen
• Bev Baginski
• Kathleen Bailey
• Susan Bailey
• Becky Banasiak
• Kathy Banbury
• Leslie Barnes
• Sarah Bartzen
• Mary K. Baty
• Jean Benedett
• Anne Berges
• Betsy Bernard
• Elizabeth Berry
• Argery Bitchakas
• Terri Blaha
• Kim Bledsoe
• Ann Bond
• J. Bonifert
• Lenore Bottino
• Barb Boylan
• Martha Boyle
• Bonita Bradshaw
• Mary Brady
• Barb Breesmen
• Nancy Brenner
• Kathy Buckley
• Cindy Buescher
• Mary C. Burke
• Pat Burke
• Erin Burns
• Boni Burton
• Shotsi Cain
• Maria Calabrese
• Ellen Callahan
• Georgette Carroll
• Maura Carroll
• Mary Champion
• Mary Clemency
• Ann Colbert
• Catherine Comerford
• Mary Conley
• Beth Conlisk
• Patty Coogan
• Elizabeth Corbin
• Kathleen Cordes
• Peggy Crehan
• Marilyn Crimmins
• Nancy Cueroni
• Peg Curtin
• Mary Jo Cushing
• Deborah Dean
• Jamee Decio
• Ann Deighen
• Jill DeLucia
• Kate Dickinson
• Anne Dilenschneider
• Kathleen Dilworth
• Camille Doan
• Laura Dodge
• Betsy Dorzweiler
• Kathy Downs
• D. Dressler
• Nora Duffy
• Sally Duffy
• Christine Dziwura
• Jeanne Earley
• Anne Eisele
• Robin Eresman
• Jeannie Essling
• Betsy Fallon
• Kathy Farhart
• Patricia Farro
• Susan Fitzpatrick
• Mary Fitzsimons
• Laura Flaherty
• Sue Flanigan
• Liz Flood
• Maureen Flynn
• Susan Fondi
• Joan Fremeau
• Barbara Frey
• Carole Froling
• Fidele Galey
• Christie Gallagher
• Erin Gallagher
• Kathy Gallogly
• Libby Galloway
• Ann Gardner
• Jane Garland
• Rosemary Gill
• Jody Gormley
• Nora Grace
• Susan Grace
• Debra Grady
• Carol Guckert
• Mary Gumble
• Mary Kay (Meme) Hanson
• Ann Marie Hawkins
• Mary Hayes
• Peggy Hester
• Mary Beth Hines
• Julia Hofmann
• Astrid Hotvedt
• Ellen Hughes
• Mary Jaeger
• Mary Grace James
• Diane Johnson
• Kathleen Jones
• Kathy Juba
• Kathy Kane
• Louise Karas
• Veronica Keefe
• Jennifer Kellow
• Anne Kelly
• Regina Kelso
• Lory Kerger
• Roberta Kilpatrick
• Mary Koch
• Sue Krakora
• Janet Krier
• Judy Kseniak
• Sue Kunkel
• Cindy Labriola
• Mary Lammers
• Carol Latronica
• Pam Leary
• MaryBeth Leonard
• Janet Longfellow
• Geri Lopez
• Donna Losurdo
• Maria Losurdo
• Margaret Mader
• Adella Malvezzi
• Mary Mannion
• Kim Manzi
• Melanie Marshall
• Mary Marten
• Molly Martin
• Rita Martin
• Anne Mattimore
• Mary Beth Mazanec
• Laurie McAllister
• Kathy McCann
• Marie McCarthy
• Pam McGinley
• Molly McGuire (Ohio)
• Molly McGuire (Iowa)
• Karen McKeon
• Jean McQuillan
• Kathy McRae
• Lynn Mertensotto
• Kristin Meyer
• Coletta Miller
• Nikki Miller
• Mary Clare Molidor
• Terry Molony
• JoAnn Mooney
• Carole Moore
• Meg Morgan
• Mary Lou Mulvihill
• Joan Byrne Murphy
• Marianne Murphy
• Maureen Murphy
• Ellen Myler
• Dana Nahlen
• Lori Nolan
• Margaret Noonan
• Barb Norcross
• Mairin North
• Sue O’Brien
• Kathleen O’Connell
• Eileen O’Grady
• Michelle O’Haren
• Patricia O’Donnell
• Judith Offerle
• Julianne Olech
• Sharon Orbeson
• Jayne O’Reilly
• Yvonne Ortega
• Virginia Ott
• Brenda Pallone
• Sandy Parnell
• Joan Porter
• Laure Prestine
• Phyllis Provost
• Joanne Prusiecki
• Cindy Rebholz
• Susan Reis
• Joan Richtsmeier
• Nancy Rickhoff
• Laurie Reising
• Maggie Rietman
• Barb Riley
• Kathleen Riordan
• Janet Robert
• Judy Robert
• Gina Robillard
• Anne Rockey
• Laura Rohrbach
• Melissa Roman
• Diane Rortvedt
• Judy Rupprucht
• Mary Ryan
• Cathy Salvi
• Janet Scanlon
• Gail Schahade
• Carolyn Schiffels
• Janel Schliesmann
• C. Schoendienst
• Margaret Schuler
• Mary Setlock
• Kathy Shanahan
• Judy Shiely
• Elizabeth Short
• Ginger Siefring
• Carol Simmons
• Chris Simony
• Mary Singer
• Linda Sisson
• Sue Smiggen
• Andrea Smith
• Sally Smith
• Victoria Smith
• Mary Spalding
• Susan “Brooks” Strassel
• Nancy Stoltz
• Elizabeth Storey
• Monica Stupke
• Camille St. Hilaire
• Eunice Sullivan
• Kathy Sullivan
• Sharon Sullivan
• Judy Tempel
• Michelle Thompson
• Amy Thornton
• Becky Thornton
• Rosemary Tirinnanzi
• Beth Towne
• Nina Tressler
• Michelle Trevino
• Christine Twist
• Debbie Valentino
• Monica Vogel
• Ellen Walsh
• Mary Walsh
• Vicki Warren
• Helen Weber
• Cindy Weidner
• Jule Wetherbee
• Mary White
• Linda Wilbert
• Lisa Winkelman
• Lauren Wood
• Catherine Zablotny
• Mary Ann Zdinak
• Ruth Zurcher

The following women are Monogram winners who played pivotal roles in the early years of women’s athletics at Notre Dame. They too will be invited to participate in the weekend celebration.

• Elizabeth Bathon
• Sue Behnke
• Cathy Buzard
• Donna Carini
• Carola Cummings
• Patti DeCoste
• MaryAnne Dooley
• Sally Fischer
• Terri Foley
• Mary Hums
• Karen Lacity
• Carol Lally
• Jane Lammers
• Maureen Maloney
• Christina Marciniak
• Sue McGlinn
• Marge Meagher
• Pat Meyer
• Paddy Mullen
• Jane Politiski
• Diane Shillingburg
• Mary Shukis
• Kathy Valdiserri