Ivies Mark 25 Years Of Women's Athletics

Twenty-five years after women were first admitted into official Ivy League sports competition, the League is pausing to look back at all that has been accomplished in female athletics.

A year of festivities is set to begin this weekend at Harvard with the unveiling of a photographic mural and a day of conferences and celebration.

Ivy League Public Relations Director Chuck Yrigoyen said the League "hopes to remember the achievements of our female athletes and recognize the progress made over the last 25 years."

The Ivy League is the oldest Division I conference for women and still sponsors more championships for women--16 in all--than any other conference. The Radcliffe crew team won the history-making inaugural championship in 1974.

According to Senior Associate Director of Athletics Patricia Henry, the Silver Anniversary is "a reminder to all of us of the long tradition of female athletics in the Ivy League and at Harvard."

Yrigoyen acknowledged, however, that men and women's athletics are still "not entirely equal."

But the emphasis of the Silver Anniversary celebration is on the positive.

Henry said she hopes the celebration will "encourage alumni support" and show today's athletes that they are "building blocks in a long and rich history."

The centerpiece of the Silver Anniversary celebration is a travelling exhibit of an 8 by 17 foot mural, which features 200 historical photos, timelines, and lists of great female Ivy League athletes.

The mural will be on display for the public in the Hall of History at Harvard's Murr Center this weekend and will remain there through the second week of October.

The exhibit will then move on to the seven other Ivy institutions, finishing its run at Columbia University in April.

This Saturday, Harvard is planning a day-long event, titled Milestones, which will include discussions about athletic issues as well as actual Varsity sporting contests.

The event is intended primarily for alumnae and is otherwise open only to invited College athletes.

The capstone of the day will be a banquet honoring those selected to the Ivy League's Silver Anniversary Honor Roll--for which each Ivy institution was asked to name two athletes from each sport--and Harvard's own Silver Anniversary Team.

Among the outstanding Harvard athletes to be recognized are track Olympian Meredith L. Rainey '90 and Allison S. Feaster '98, a first round draft pick in the Women's National Basketball Association.

Other events planned for the entire Ivy League include a symposium in New York and the release of a book on the subject.

The significance of the anniversary is not lost on current Harvard-Radcliffe athletes, who--above all--are glad to have a chance to play in intercollegiate competition.

"It's wonderful that we are able to fully participate given that athletics are still dominated by males," said Janna R. McDougall '02

Among the outstanding Harvard athletes to be recognized are track Olympian Meredith L. Rainey '90 and Allison S. Feaster '98, a first round draft pick in the Women's National Basketball Association.

Other events planned for the entire Ivy League include a symposium in New York and the release of a book on the subject.

The significance of the anniversary is not lost on current Harvard-Radcliffe athletes, who--above all--are glad to have a chance to play in intercollegiate competition.

"It's wonderful that we are able to fully participate given that athletics are still dominated by males," said Janna R. McDougall '02