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Celebrating 100 years of women in sports
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 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.
INTRODUCTION OF WOMEN’S ATHLETIC TEAMS
1921 TENNIS 1961 BASKETBALL 1975 VOLLEYBALL 1976 SOFTBALL 1978 TRACK & FIELD, SWIMMING & DIVING, CROSS COUNTRY 1994 SOCCER 1997 GOLF 2009 LACROSSE 2016 TRIATHLON 2017 BOWLING 2019 WRESTLING
WOMEN’S FIRST TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The women’s basketball team made history at North Central College in 1983 when they brought home the NCAA Division III National Championship. Playing in a national television broadcast on ESPN, the Cardinals defeated Elizabethtown College in Worcester, Mass., by a final score of 83-71. North Central College became the only college basketball team in the nation to have four 1,000-point career scorers in the starting lineup when Bonnie Hansen ’83 Jagiella joined the club on January 25 against Wheaton College. Kim Wallner ’84 and Brenda Sanders ’83 still rank 1-2 in program history for career scoring with 2,421 and 1,986 points, respectively. The team was led by Dr. Wayne Morgan, who won 75 percent of his games as a basketball coach. Hansen, Wallner and Sanders are now all members of the Athletic Hall of Fame.
FIRST INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPION
Ophelia Johnson ’90 became the first female individual national champion in North Central College history in 1989 when she crossed the finish line first in the 100-meter hurdles. Johnson finished her career as one of the most decorated athletes in program history, earning All-American honors 14 times and becoming one of the first four-time CCIW champions in school history. Not only did she find success individually, she also helped lead her team to winning the 1989 and 1990 CCIW championships. Johnson was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY VIRTUAL EVENT
The 36th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 2, 2022, marked the celebration of 100 years of female athletics. This is the second year where a virtual format was adopted to recognize the importance and passion of athletic women. North Central’s 2022 panel discussion was moderated by Dakotah PoitraM ’22, athletic administration graduate assistant at North Central. To discuss the state of female studentathletes today, she was joined by Jessica Brown, vice president for Student Affairs and Athletics; Rebecca Gordon, assistant vice president for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and chief diversity officer; and Sue Kane-Hammond’02, associate athletic director. To view the event, visit northcentralcardinals.com/NGWSD2022.
