Yesterday marked the 35th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. NCC’s athletic department took the day to praise both past and present athletes for their achievements.
Every year, NCC hosts the event in an effort to encourage girls and women to continue to play sports and as a way to learn about the number of women who have paved the way. This event included a panel discussion with former NCC athletes and the presentation of the Cleo Tanner Award.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the discussion was pre-recorded and uploaded to YouTube. This also means that there was no recipient of the Cleo Tanner award.
Panel moderator and Graduate Assistant Dakotah Poitra led yesterday’s discussion. The list of panelists included Susan DeNigris, ’02, Megan Allen Gossett, ’90 and Jackie Ericco, ’11.
Both DeNigris and Gossett are former track and field athletes. Because of their athletic achievements, they are 2005 Hall of Fame recipients. DeNigris is currently the associate athletic director and senior woman administrator. Ericco is a former women’s basketball player.
The discussion opened with each former athlete explaining why it’s important to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
“This day celebrates who they are, what they are trying to accomplish and where they are planning to go in the future,” said Gossett.
Yesterday’s topics included obstacles faced through being a female athlete, lessons or skills learned from their time at NCC and working in male-dominated career paths.
“Be relentless in your pursuit of excellence, period. You’re going to ruffle some feathers a long the way. Use it, hold it as a mantra,” said DeNigris.
One thing that each panelist agreed on was that NCC supported their athletic careers as women during their time on campus.
