A century of women’s athletics means rich opportunities for today’s student-athletes It’s been 100 years since the debut of women’s tennis in 1921 as the first women’s intercollegiate sport on campus. Fittingly, the women’s tennis team in fall 2021 finished one of its more successful seasons ever, concluding with a perfect 14-0 record and a conference championship. Today, North Central College offers 14 different team sports for women and draws student-athletes from across the country.
TENNIS PAVES THE WAY Before 1921, passionate female athletes at North Central College had to compete on an intramural basis or only play
recreationally. The Women’s Athletic Association administered events to allow women to play. However, this all changed when women’s tennis became the first female varsity sport on the North Central campus in 1921. Coach Cleo Tanner took the reins as head coach of the women’s tennis team in 1930, beginning her 40year run leading the team and serving as a pioneer and leader in women’s athletics. In Tanner’s later years she led the team to 10 consecutive tournament victories before retiring in 1970. After her death in 1971, North Central College introduced a Cleo Tanner Memorial Invitational Tennis Tournament in her honor. Tanner was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 for her dedication to the program
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and women’s sports. In 2006, the Cleo Tanner Award was created to honor the contributions of an individual who has positively influenced women’s athletics.
CONTINUING A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE The recent success of the Cardinal tennis program dates back to 2005 when coach Don Moravec ’69 took over the team. Moravec held his position for 10 years and became the all-time leader in coaching wins with 102. The continued excellence of female tennis players has led to new records and undefeated seasons in the last decade and a half. In 2021, the team claimed the CCIW title by defeating Wheaton College with a 5-0 sweep and ended their fall season with a 14-0 record.
